


The Twisted Crown

by BlueEyedAssButt



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 14:51:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 52,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6989908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueEyedAssButt/pseuds/BlueEyedAssButt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Long ago, in a land called The Midlands (a land being riddled by crime and witchcraft), there stood two kingdoms on the brink of war. One, The Golden Kingdom, which heralded itself for its morality and good will, self proclaimed to be blessed by the gods. The other, The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown- a vile and barbaric kingdom where there was close to no law. This dark kingdom is named after the twisted crown that sits upon the king’s head; a misshapen, cruel, dark, twisted piece of metal that was sharply spiked at the top and was decorated with deep red jewels, stained with the blood of ancient battles past. Sir Castiel, a head knight of The Golden Kingdom, is tasked with tracking down the infamous bandit Dean Winchester. When Cas gets captured by Dean, the two find that they may not be as different as they think they are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Destiel Fandom](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Destiel+Fandom).



                                                                              **Come What May**  
**I Will Love You**  
**Until My Dying Day**  
  
  
-  
  
Long ago, in a land called The Midlands, there stood two kingdoms on the brink of war. One, The Golden Kingdom, which heralded itself for its morality and good will, self proclaimed to be blessed by the gods. The other, The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown- a vile and barbaric kingdom where there was close to no law. This dark kingdom is named after the twisted crown that sits upon the king’s head; a misshapen, cruel, dark, twisted piece of metal that was sharply spiked at the top and was decorated with deep red jewels, stained with the blood of ancient battles past. On the surface there were vast differences between the two, however, if you were to ask anyone who lived outside of the two kingdoms, you would have gotten a very different story.  
  
Inside of the grand throne room of King Charles Shurley, Knight Commander Sir Raphael was finishing up giving his daily report.  
  
“…next, there were several incidents related to witchcraft reported in the eastern district near the kingdom wall, sir. ” The king seemed unmoved. Raphael continued, “There were a total of five deaths. Next, the bandit crisis. Despite my best efforts, I regret to inform his Majesty that I still have not found the leader of the bandits. The criminal we captured revealed no information to us and has been executed for his crimes. Due to this, we still have no word on where Princess Amara’s stolen amulet is. That is all. Long live the king.” There was a slight pause. King Charles gathered his thoughts, then spoke.  
  
“How wonderful” he said with a forced smile. “You’ve failed me again, Raphael.” The smile quickly faded. “My kingdom is under siege by criminals and witches and you have continued to disappoint me. Do you understand how that makes my kingdom look? It looks weak now, thanks to you. This is the last time you will fail me. You are henceforth demoted, your duties as head of the search party have been terminated. Get out of my sight.”  
  
Raphael bowed and walked out of the throne room, head hung in shame.  
  
“Sir Castiel…” Charles beckoned. Castiel was among the higher ranks of The Knights of The Highest Order. He was strong, had deep black hair, a strong jaw, and eyes as blue as the sky. Castiel was known to be silent but effective, the true perfect soldier.  
  
“Yes, your Majesty” Castiel replied in his deep voice, bowing before his king.  
  
“ _You_ have yet to fail me. You take orders like you should and always trust your instinct…this is good. I am appointing you as head of this search. Find that bandit and do not fail me”.  
  
“I will not fail you, your Grace.”  
  
“Be gone then. You have much work to do,” Charles commanded.  
  
Castiel walked out of the throne room. You wouldn’t have known it, but he was filled to the brim with anxiety and excitement.  
  
“Look at you go, hotshot” Gabriel teased. Gabriel was a fellow knight, and Castiel’s best friend. “You know, I have to admit, I did not see that coming. Did you see Raphael’s face!? He was humiliated!” Gabriel mocked, laughing. “Good on you, that egomaniac had that one coming.” Castiel smiled, yet remained silent for a bit as they were walking to their assigned posts for the day.  
  
“Do you really think I can do this? So many have tried before me and failed…I don’t know if I’ll be able to find this bandit,” Castiel asked with concern.  
  
“Honestly, I’m going to bet you that you can’t.” Castiel turned his head sharply looking at his friend. “Come on, like you said, so many have tried before you and failed. This isyour first big assignment, the odds are definitely not in your favor,” Gabriel laughed.  
  
“I think he can do it,” a female voice said from behind. “I trust that Castiel has the intelligence and instinct to finally track this monster down,” Hannah said. Hannah was a knight as well. She was not one of the higher-ups, but she always seemed to find herself near Castiel.  
  
“Oh please, Hannah, the only reason you’re saying that is because you’re infatuated with Sir Castiel, here.”  
  
Hannah turned bright red. “How dare you” she said, pushing by Gabriel, leaving the two alone. Castiel glared at Gabriel.  
  
“Oh don’t look at me like that, you know it’s true.”  
  
Castiel rolled his eyes. “Well, you don’t have to make her uncomfortable.” Castiel liked Hannah, she was a good soldier, and the admiration she gave him was endearing. But, he couldn’t return her affections.  
  
The two men had arrived near the castle gate. “Well, this is my post for the day. Where are you stationed?” Gabriel asked while getting prepared to watch for crime.  
  
“Near the front gate,” Castiel replied, smiling at the peasants going by.  
  
“Then I will see you later tonight. Don’t forget, the tavern after your shift!”  
  
“I’ll be there.”  
  
“Long live the King!”  
  
“Long live the King!”  
  
As Castiel walked to his post, he began to think to himself. “Can I really do this…why did King Charles pick me…how does he even know my name?” Castiel had a relatively good upbringing, though he never knew his father- he left when Castiel was only five. He looked up to the knights as a child and they had a great influence on him. Where his home life was unpredictable and disorganized, the knighthood had structure, order. He knew that someday he wanted to be one, too. Here he was, 17 years later at the ripe young age of 22, and he had made it. But even so, something was keeping Castiel on edge. He didn’t see himself as a leader. Regardless he put his fears aside and did his duty for the day.  
  
Later that night, Castiel was in his house getting ready to head to the local tavern. His house wasn’t terribly small, nor terribly big, but he lived alone so it was big enough for just him. He got dressed out of his armor and into civilian clothes. He wore a loose fitting light blue shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and had on a pair of darker brown cloth pants. He placed his lucky blue stone necklace on and proceeded out the door. The necklace was sort of a safety blanket for Castiel.  
  
On his way to the tavern, Castiel again found himself slightly on edge. He wasn’t a very social person and he didn’t necessarily know how to or get along with anyone but Gabriel and Hannah. Would it be weird? The five head knights would be there, including Raphael. Castiel arrived at the tavern, took a breath, and entered.  
  
The tavern was full of life. It was truly a mixing of the classes. It was filled with some lower ranked knights, peasants, homeless people, drunks, and finally at a table near the bar, the head knights.  
  
“There he is!” Gabriel shouted as Castiel walked up to the table. “Sir Castiel, our heroic leader.” Gabriel was clearly already very intoxicated.  
  
“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” Raphael huffed.  
  
“Aw, c’mon, Raph. Don’t be such a buzzkill just ‘cus you got demoted,” Gabriel slurred and laughed. Raphael remained silent, irritatedly looking away from Gabriel.  
  
“Truly, though, Sir Castiel, we are all happy to be under your lead. Excuse Raphael” Michael said, smiling sincerely.  
  
“Thank you all. I…hope I don’t disappoint” Castiel said, sounding rather uncomfortable.  
  
“Alright, we’re here to celebrate! What are we waiting for? Well, besides Gabriel. He didn’t quite wait, did he?” Balthazaar said as he held up a tankard. Castiel picked one up as well.  
  
“To Sir Castiel, who will sleigh all of the witches everywhere, and find that damned thief!” Gabriel toasted.  
  
“Here, here!” they all said, clinking their tankards together.  
  
Castiel found that he was having a better time than he thought, and Raphael actually seemed to loosen up a bit and engage in some conversation.  
  
“Okay, okay, I’m placing my bet here and now that this bandit is a warlock!” Raphael drunkenly stated. A slight argument between two men at the bar began in the background. “It makes the most sense. How else could he have gotten away every time?”  
  
“Oh, no way. They have this whole honor code thing, I doubt they’d dabble in black magic. They don’t even kill the people they steal from,” Gabriel retorted. The argument behind them seemed to escalate.  
  
“No, no, what about Ezra? Hmm? They killed him!” Michael said.  
  
“Well, he also killed a few of their men too. Maybe it’s an eye for an eye thing?” Castiel said. He hadn’t drank very much- he always felt like he should be on guard even off duty. The argument behind them couldn’t be ignored any longer. The two men were drunkenly howling insults about each other’s mothers, then suddenly it got violent as the two men began pushing each other. Castiel stood up in an attempt to neutralize the situation.  
  
“You two! Enough of that!” he ordered. The two men didn’t stop. Finally, the taller man punched the shorter in the face, the man twisted around and fell onto Castiel.  
  
“Alright, alright, enough. Take it outside,” Castiel commanded while helping the green eyed man up.  
  
“Thank you, sir. This man over here thinks he knows everything about everything. He says Princess Amara is a witch. What a joke, am I right?” the man said to Castiel, far too close to his face, hand on his shoulder. Castiel had never seen him before, he had a face he definitely would not have forgotten. This strangers eyes were greener than the grass that grew in the king’s garden. His stubbled face had a certain degree of harshness to it, yet the smirk he wore showed that he had a whimsical spirit about him. This man was unlike anyone Castiel had ever seen. They both stood there, staring at each other. Castiel realized he hadn’t replied yet, and after a brief moment of silence, Castiel broke eye contact. 

“Well..uh..le..leave now…civilian” he ordered while pointing to the door, hoping this man hadn’t had noticed that his voice was lacking the authority it had held before.  
  
“Yes, sir. Of course. Right away,” the man said as he winked, bowing slightly then quickly escaping through the exit, followed by the other man.  
  
“Hey, I’m not done with you yet, pint sized,” he yelled as he ran out of the tavern.  
  
The crowd resumed its usual banter when suddenly the town slob, Metatron, walked up to the table of head knights, drunkenly laughing.  
  
“Can we help you?” Michael asked, already annoyed.

“No, you- you- can’t even help yourselves,” he slurred in between laughs.

 “Is that so. Do you know to whom you speak?” Balthazar asked with an amused grin on his face.  
  
“Yeah, the head of the knights…you didn’t even see it happen. It went right over your ego filled heads,” he insulted.  
  
Raphael angrily slammed his fist down, “What are you speaking of, pig?”  
  
“Oh, wow, nothing, just the fact that that bandit you’ve been looking high and low for for years just took blue shirt’s necklace and ran off right under your noses” He fell to the floor laughing. The knights looked at each other and all at once sprinted out the door.  
  
“Do you see them, Castiel?” Raphael yelled as he trailed behind him.  
  
“Not yet, can anyone see them?” he yelled back as they ran through crowds of civilians. How could this have happened?! He was so thrown off by this man that he hadn’t noticed he’d been robbed. Castiel was humiliated and furious. The knights ran through the various courtyards, down the alleys of houses. “I see them!!! They’re running out of the front gate into the forest!!!” Castiel said.  
  
The green eyed man turned around only for a second, looked shocked, shouted something to the other man, and they started sprinting even faster. They were incredibly acrobatic, leaping over fences and shrubberies.  
  
They ran out of the gate, over the drawbridge, and into the forest.  
  
“Stop now, thieves!” Michael yelled to them. They chased the two men through the forest, weaving in and out of trees, all the way to a small cliff face, roughly 20 feet high.  
  
“This is it, thieves. You’re outnumbered and cornered. Return what you’ve stolen from me and prepare to be arrested,” Castiel ordered forcefully as he walked up to the green eyed man, sword out.  
  
“Ah. See, we would. But, you’re a lot less intimidating without your armor, and if you’d look up, you’ll see that _you’re_ the outnumbered party.”  the green eyed man said teasingly.  
  
Castiel looked up to see roughly 15 bandits, all with crossbows and arrows pointed at the knights  
  
“Charlie!” the taller one yelled. He seemed much more agitated than the other man. A rope ladder unrolled down the side of the cliff. The taller man furiously began to climb up, as the other one waited and stared only at Castiel. Castiel fiercely stared back, a fire had ignited in his stomach. He knew this was absolute fury that he was feeling. The man narrowed his eyes and smirked, walked backwards to the ladder, grabbing on, he was hoisted up, not once breaking eye contact.  
  
“I’ll find you, thief!!!” Castiel screamed.  
  
“Please, do!” he shouted back.  
  
With that, the bandits faded from sight, and the knights stood there completely dumbfounded in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

The Winchester Bandits had done it again. Another incredibly successful day of thievery.  
  
“Oh, Sammy, did you see the looks on their faces? I tell ya, it’s moments like this that make jumping over walls and risking being beheaded every day so absolutely worth it,” Dean howled, breathlessly laughing. He was absolutely energized. He had just stolen from right under the noses of The Knights of The Highest Order.  
  
“Dean, that was so risky. I can’t believe we actually got away with that. If Charlie hadn’t have spotted us, we would have been done for,” Sam retorted, incredibly stressed.  
  
“Aw c’mon. They were all out there waiting for us anyway. If anything, they would have just held off the guards until we could make our getaway,” Dean assured his brother.

“We just gotta be more careful next time, that’s all,” Sam said. 

“Then we will. But hey,” Dean began to swing the necklace he had swiped off the blue eyed knight in front of his brother’s face. “Eh? C’mon, we’re going to have food for the next month!”  
  
They had walked for about 20 minutes into the forest and into the dense shrubbery until they had finally arrived at their hideout. It was a relatively large run down old inn that Sam and Dean had found as kids one day while playing in the forest. It wasn’t anything grand, but it was the only home the boys had ever known, and they loved it.  
  
“Brothers and sisters, let the ale flow like rain! We’ve just successfully stolen from The Knights of The Highest Order!!!” Dean screamed as he burst in the door of the hideout. The hideout was full of sound- everyone there had their own stories. Charlie found her way to the bandits when her parents were murdered by The Knights of The Twisted Crown. It’s there that she met Jo, one of Sam and Dean’s childhood friends. The two fell in love and were absolutely inseparable.  
  
“Be right back Dean, gonna go say hi to Jo and put my stuff away!” she said.  
  
“Alright kiddo, but you better come back out here. You’re the MVP tonight!” Dean responded, pointing at her.  
  
Charlie made her way through the celebrating bandits to her room. “Hello, my love,” she said to a comatose Jo as she entered the dimly lit sleeping quarters. “I swiped this off a local merchant today.” she said as she pulled a small vial of potion from her satchel. “She didn’t even notice! I know you would have been proud of me,” she said as she slipped the vial between her love’s cursed unmoving lips. “I know, it probably tastes like a hog’s ass, but you need it to stay alive. When you’re awake, I’ll make all your favorite foods again. No more nasty potion for you.” Charlie sat down next to Jo on her bed, holding her hand. Jo was the epitome of beauty to Charlie. Blonde curly hair, a soft complexion, and not a single imperfection that she could find. She looked so peaceful sleeping there, like she hadn’t a care in the world. Charlie leaned down and kissed Jo’s cheek. “I swear to you, I will find the witch that has done this to you, and she will pay dearly,” she said, wiping tears from her face.

 Meanwhile, the celebration in the main hall was in full swing. Some of the bandits were singing drinking songs, some played instruments, some were standing on the tables dancing. Ellen and Robert were dancing together. Ash was drunkenly swaying in his seat, singing and laughing. It was good, Dean thought, to see Ellen and Ash smile. They hadn’t since Jo had been cursed. Sam and Dean had their own area near a boarded up window where they would sit, right above the fireplace. They were sort of the leaders of this band of thieves. They started it, so they had their due respect. They had a great view of the entire hall. They sat watching the festivities together while drinking. Sam looked over at his brother and noticed that his smile had faded, and that he looked almost unsettled.  
  
“Dean, everything alright? We’re supposed to be celebrating, remember?” Sam asked sincerely, his eyes concernedly scanning his brother’s face.  
  
“Yeah, man. I know. I just…I guess I’m stuck in my head or something. I get worried sometimes,” Dean confided, knowing that no one could hear him over the roar of the drunken festivities.  
  
“About?” Sam pried, leaning in towards his brother from his seat.  
  
“I dunno…do you really think this is the life that mom and dad wanted for us?” Dean asked, his eyes locked intensely on his younger brother’s.  
  
“Well, Dean,” Sam began. “This isn’t necessarily the life that I think _anyone_ wants for their children,” Sam said honestly. “But there’s not a moment that goes by that I don’t believe fully that they’re proud of us for keeping each other alive. No matter how we had to do it.”  
  
Dean looked away, still looking troubled, drinking from his tankard he remained silent.  
  
“Dean, look. We’ve had the shit end of the stick our entire lives. Everything we’ve ever loved has been taken from us by The Knights of The shittiest whatever and that fucking Twisted Crown. We’ve been set up for failure since the day mom and dad were murdered. I think that what we do is _absolutely_ justified at this point. We survived the only way we could, Dean,” Sam said, trying to bring his brother some sort of ease.  
  
“Yeah, maybe you’re right” Dean said while nodding. He took another sip of ale. He still looked troubled.  
“That’s not the only thing on your mind,” Sam pried.  
  
“Yeah, I think it is. I mean, I don’t know,” Dean said, trying to avoid the subject.  
  
Sam knew there was something else. He could see it on his brother’s face. Maybe Dean just didn’t want to say it.  
  
“C’mon. Talk to me,” the younger brother said bluntly.  
  
“I sort of… _felt_ …something earlier,” Dean admitted, refusing to look at his brother.  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“I don’t know, Sammy. It…it’s something I haven’t felt genuinely in a long time.”  
  
“Well, when was the last time you felt this?”  
  
“Uh…” Dean paused, still looking away from his brother. He took a breath, looked at his brother and continued. “The last time I felt this way…was when I was with Lisa.”  
  
Sam paused a moment, the brothers stared at each other.  
  
“Dean, that’s great. Who made you feel this way…?” he asked with a smile growing on his face.  
  
Dean stared at his brother, considered answering the question truthfully, but decided not to altogether.  
  
“I don’t know, man. Maybe I just ate some bad mutton or something. I’m gonna go get some well deserved rest,” Dean said, standing and patting his brother on the back, completely avoiding the question.  
  
“Uh…yeah, okay. If you say so.” Sam said, giving up, sitting back in his chair. “Anyway, good work today. Let’s plan out our next heist tomorrow?”  
  
“Sounds good, Sammy.”  
  
Dean walked through the revelry, up the stairs, down the hall to the door at the end of it. He walked inside, locked the door behind him, and took his shirt off to ready himself for bed. As he tried to sleep, he tossed and turned. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. He reached over to the small table next to his bed, picking up the blue stone necklace. He sat there, staring at it, unable to get images of that blue eyed knight out of his head.  
  
“Son of a bitch.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Idiots!” King Charles scolded, he was furiously pacing back and forth in front of his throne. “What an embarrassment you are! You’ve been burglarized by the man you’ve sworn to capture! Sir Castiel! Here! Now!” the king demanded viciously. Castiel did so hastily, bowing before his angered ruler. “This is the first time you have failed me, Sir Castiel, and you’ve only been on the job one day! However, I will excuse this once and only once because we now know what this individual looks like. You _will_ go and give a full description. We will have wanted posters crafted and posted by mid-day,” Charles instructed. 

“Yes, your Majesty. I will not fail you again,” Castiel said, completely humiliated.  
  
“No, you will not. Now be gone,” The King said, sitting down on his thrown, fuming with anger.  
  
“Long live the king!” Castiel said. 

As Castiel walked out of the throne room to the station where he was to give the description at, Gabriel walked alongside him.  
  
“Hey, Castiel, don’t worry. Now we know what he looks like, so there’s no way we won’t capture him! Last night was actually a gift in disguise!” Gabriel said smiling at his friend, attempting to put his anxieties to rest.  
  
“He stole from right under my nose, literally!” Castiel bursted, stopping in his tracks. “Do you know how humiliating this is?!”  
  
“Hey, I was there too, genius. I know how you feel,” he said shaking his head.  
  
“No, you don’t, Gabriel. _I_ am the talk of the town, not you. ‘Local fool knight lets renown bandits escape on his first day ,’ how is this a good thing?! Hmm? Your optimism isn’t helping me right now, nor is your pitiful sympathies, and they’re _NOT_ _WANTED_!” Castiel screamed at his friend.  
  
Gabriel stood there silent, stunned. This was the first time he’d ever seen Castiel explode like that.  
  
Castiel’s eyes softened, he looked away from his friend. “I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-“  
  
“No. You shouldn’t have. I’m going to my post. Long live the king,” Gabriel said, cutting Castiel off, bumping his shoulder as he walked away.  
  
“Pull yourself together,” Castiel said to himself feeling guilty.  
  
As he arrived at the station, he walked in and saw a short woman who sat on a stool near a table with a paint brush and many sheets of blank parchment.  
  
“Alright, Sir Castiel, describe the bandit to me in as much detail as you can remember. I know it was brief and dark, but try to remember anything you can,” the woman said readying her brush.  
  
“Okay.” Castiel paused to collect his thoughts. “He was roughly three inches taller than I am, he was muscular, broad shouldered. His eyes were…” Castiel paused. _God, those eyes…_  

“Sir Castiel? His eyes were…?” the woman said semi-impatiently tapping the back of her brush on the table.

“Uh, yes, my apologies. His eyes were a vibrant emerald green, his hair was lighter brown, well kept. He had a strong jawline and a relatively smug disposition. His face wasn’t necessarily clean-shaven, but he didn’t have a beard, either. The last defining feature was the horizontal scar he had on his right cheekbone, roughly about the size of his eye.”

“Anything else?” the stout woman asked, finishing up the rough draft painting.

“His lips. You got them wrong. They weren’t that thin. That’s all,” Castiel said, confused as to how had he remembered all those details from such a brief encounter.  
  
“Thank you, Sir Castiel. You’ve been more than helpful,” the women said, sounding surprised.

Castiel nodded and proceeded outside to walk to his post. 

“Sir Castiel!” Michael shouted from behind, running to meet him.  
  
“Sir Michael, may I be of any assistance?”  
  
“Yes, come with me, and be quick.” The two knights began jogging together towards the castle.  
  
“What is this about?”  
  
“Remember the slob that made a mockery of us last night at the tavern?”  
  
“Yes, Metatrod, I believe his name was”  
  
“Metatron, actually. His worthless name is unimportant. We’ve placed him under arrest and he’s in the dungeon now for interrogation. You have been requested to assist. Come along.”

The two knights hurried on their way, entered the door to the dungeon, and quickly descended the spiral stone staircase to Metatron’s cell.  
  
“Sir Castiel, we’re glad you could join us. The pig is refusing to answer us. Some feel you may have better luck,” Raphael said, one eyebrow raised.  
  
“I will do my best,” Castiel said, still slightly out of breath.  
  
He composed himself and entered the cell. It was small, cramped, cold, dim, and made of stone with only metal bars in the front. There, sitting tied to a chair, was Metatron, beaten and bloody, yet still smiling that smug smile.  
  
“Metatron, I am Sir Castiel,” he said, standing before the broken man.  
  
“I know who you are,” Metatron said, rolling his eyes, looking off to the side.  
  
“I understand you’ve been put under arrest for possible treason. Let me help you,” Castiel said, attempting to reason with him.  
  
“Help me? Ha! There’s no helping me now, Castiel, and we both know it,” the hopeless man said.

“I am head of this search party. Help me, give me whatever information you have on this man, and I promise I will have your name cleared,” Castiel said, looking into Metatron’s eyes with sincerity.  
  
“You…have the power to do that?”  
  
“I believe I do.”  
  
“My name is clean? I can go, just like that? No beheading?”  
  
“Correct.”  
  
The man paused for a moment, thinking to himself, then finally spoke.  
  
“His name is Dean Winchester. He commits crimes with his brother Samuel, the taller one, and his group of about 15-17 other bandits. The number fluctuates every now and then. He’s been thieving for as long as I can remember. This is all I know.”  
  
“Do you know where his hideout is? Where he normally hangs around? His usual areas for thievery? Anything to help us locate the man?” Castiel pried.  
  
“No, I don’t. This is all I know,” Metatron said honestly.  
  
“The pig is lying,” a powerful voice said from behind Castiel.  
  
“Your Majesty,” Castiel said, bowing. 

“Tell us where he’s hiding now or lose your head,” the king said fiercely. 

“This is all I know! Castiel, tell him, you said if I helped you that you would help me!”  
  
The king glared at Castiel.  
  
“Your majesty, with all due respect, I believe this man is telling the truth. He has committed no crimes, he should be freed,” Castiel said, standing from his bow.  
  
“No crimes you say? He obviously knows this Winchester man well, or some of his bandits. Fraternizing with criminals? Withholding information? Watching a crime occur and doing nothing to stop it? That certainly sounds like treason to me.”  
  
“Treason?!” the bound man yelped.  
  
“Your Majesty, he has helped us. We know the bandit’s name now! We also know the size of his group. We can prepare for an attack, or a search! This man has helped us. He should not be punished!” Castiel said with urgency, attempting to calm his king, knowing he was failing.  
  
“Hold your tongue in front of your King, Sir Castiel. Do not forget your place,” Charles said, glaring into his eyes.  

“My apologies, your Majesty” Castiel said defeatedly, returning to his bow.  
  
“Sir Raphael.”  
  
“Yes, your majesty,” the tall, dark man said.  
  
“Have this criminal shackled. He is to be beheaded at dawn,” the king ordered, turning and walking out of the cell.  
  
Castiel continued to look at the ground. He couldn’t stand listening to the cries and pleas of the damned man. He stood up and hurriedly walked out of the cell.

That night, Castiel lay restless in his bed. When he would close his eyes, all he could see were the burning green eyes of the Winchester bandit. He couldn’t get his face out of his mind. His smirk, his soft looking lips, his stubbled jaw. Castiel told himself that this infatuation came from his desire to capture this man and bring his kingdom honor, but he knew deep down that it was something more than just that. What was it though? He had never felt such an intense fire inside of him. Was it sheer rage? Or something altogether different? He thought about the man, thought about capturing him, seeing him again. Finally, Castiel dozed off.   
  
Tomorrow was the day that his life would change forever.  


* * *

  
  
The next morning, Castiel arrived in the throne room of King Charles, along with Hannah and a group of 15 other knights.  
  
“Good morning, your Majesty. I stand before you with a fully assembled search party. With your permission, I would like to lead these knights into the forest for a week and search diligently for the Winchester bandits,” Castiel requested confidently.  
  
“And who would lead the hunt here in your absence?” the king said unimpressed.  
  
“I would like to appoint Sir Gabriel as head of security in my absence, your Majesty.”  
  
“Sir Gabriel? Really.” The king paused to think. “Sir Gabriel, come forth,” the king beckoned.

“Yes, your excellence?”  
  
“Do you think you have what it takes to take over for Sir Castiel while he is away?”  
  
“If his Majesty would allow it, I would be very honored to serve his kingdom,” Gabriel said valiantly.

“Then it shall be so. If Sir Gabriel makes a mockery of my kingdom while you’re away, the burden shall fall on you both, Sir Castiel,” the king warned.  
  
“Understood, your Majesty,” Castiel said with a smile, trying to contain his enthusiasm.  
  
“Be gone, the both of you. And Sir Castiel, you find that damned Winchester by any means necessary,” the king demanded.

“Yes, your Grace.”  
  
“Long live the king!” the two knights said.  
  
Outside in the courtyard, the search party assembled on horseback. Castiel sat in front of them, brimming with pride.  
  
“My knights, we go forth into this forest to bring our kingdom great honor. We will find these fiends, and we will make them pay for their crimes against our king!” Castiel spoke boldly to his team, who replied with cheers. He continued, “We have enough food and water to last us up to a week in the forest. Surely by then we will have located this man. If not, we will return shortly and then continue our search. We will not rest until Winchester is in shackles! Onward! Long live the king!”  
  
“Long live the king!” they all chanted. Hannah stared at Castiel, smiling. There’s the leader she knew he had inside of him. The search party commenced as they all rode their horses off into the forest.  


* * *

  
  
One week later, the exhausted search party, now bug bitten, chaffed, and irritable, were on their way back to the kingdom after a weeklong failure. There had been no sign of the bandits, no trails to track, no signs of life at all. Just an endless stream of green, trees and brush as far as the eye could see.  
  
“Where are you, Dean Winchester…” Castiel said to himself, feeling completely defeated. Dean’s face still burned in his memory.  
  
“Sir Castiel, are you alright?” Hannah asked, their horses riding alongside each other.  
  
“Yes, Hannah. We need to return. We have run out of food, tensions are running high, and spirits are low. I just don’t understand how one man could possibly hide so well for so long. I’m beginning to think Raphael was right about the warlock thing.”  
  
“Well, he’s not a notorious thief for being captured, you know. But, Castiel, there’s something else. I know you, you’ve been acting differently since the night you were robbed. What is happening, Castiel? Talk to me.”  
  
“I don’t know, Hannah. I feel like I am obsessed with finding Winchester.”  
  
“Well, you are passionate about justice, anyone can see that.”  
  
“No, it’s not just that. It’s something else.”  
  
Hannah remained silent, she had a confused look on her face. She narrowed her eyes.  
  
“I don’t…follow. Something _else_?”  
  
“Hannah I’m not sure if I can even explain-“ Castiel was halted by a shadowy figure running in the shrubbery near them. He held up his hand, telling his group to pause as well. He examined the greenery around him, searching for another sign of life, then suddenly, Dean Winchester ran in front of the knights, paused, and ran off as fast as he could in the other direction.  
  
“After him!!!” Castiel commanded.  
  
The knights leapt off their horses since they couldn’t navigate through the trees that fast, and chased after Winchester. They followed his every move, furiously weaving through trees and jumping over bushes. Every single attempt to evade the knights had failed.  
  
“We’ve got you, Winchester! Give up the fight!” Castiel ordered as he tailed the thief.  
  
Dean tripped and fell face first into the dirt. The knights surrounded him, weapons drawn, but when Castiel went to pick him up, Dean vanished. The knights looked around, shocked and confused, when suddenly they were being ambushed by a small group of witches. Fire balls, freeze spells, arrows, and swords all were flying. They were being viciously attacked, overpowered, and they were losing. Castiel began attacking a witch who attempted to dismember him from behind. His knights were dropping like flies, one after another. Finally it was just Hannah, Castiel, and two witches. Castiel flung his sword at the masked witch in front of him, but she narrowly escaped and disappeared into a cloud of black smoke. Suddenly Hannah screamed “Castiel, watch out!” but it was too late. Castiel had been hit with some glass vial thrown by the other witch, it cracked over his head, and whatever potion was inside of it was working its magic. Castiel began to stumble around, his vision blurry, he turned to see Hannah slay the final witch. She watched as Castiel reached for her, then he fell to the ground, becoming completely motionless. Hannah walked up to Castiel, panicked, tears in her eyes.  
  
“My dear friend,” she said grabbing his hand, “You fought bravely. You brought your kingdom honor. I will tell the others of what happened. Your sacrifice will be not be in vain,” she swore, holding Castiel’s hand as his eyes slowly began to close.  
  
The last thing Castiel heard was a witch scream in the distance, the last thing he saw was Hannah running away. Then nothing. Darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

When Castiel woke up, he felt woozy. He opened his eyes, but his vision was incredibly blurry. After a few moments, he finally realized he’d been tied to a chair. The rope was tight around him, constraining his arms, with another rope around his feet. The room he was in was small, wooden, cold, and the windows had been boarded up.  
  
“Help!!! Somebody help me!!!” he screamed, his voice gruff and deeper than usual.  
  
Suddenly the door burst open and Castiel saw two silhouettes. One of them lit a torch on the wall and Castiel could finally see who his captors were: the Winchesters.  
  
“You!” Castiel said, staring at Dean with rage in his eyes, struggling to free himself from his bonds.  
  
“Sammy, why don’t you stand guard outside,” Dean said to his brother.  
  
Sam walked outside and closed the wooden door.  
  
Castiel stopped struggling to stare at Dean. “This is low, even for a bandit. Consulting with witches to capture me? Pathetic.”  
  
“Consulting with witches? We had nothing to do with that. You fell into that trap all on your own, pal. All we’re guilty of is finding some dead bodies in the forest and looting them. Except, I guess they weren’t all dead, because, well, here we are,” Dean said, walking up to the unarmed and bound Castiel.  
  
“There’s no use holding me here. My people will find you, and when they do you will be sorry,” Castiel warned the approaching Dean Winchester.  
  
“Oh right, you don’t know,” Dean said pulling up a chair and having a seat in front of Castiel.  
  
“Know what?” Castiel said, staring at the face that haunted his dreams.  
  
“No one’s coming for you,” Dean said, not breaking eye contact.  
  
“Why not? How could you know that? Your attempts to make me feel helpless are pitiful,” Castiel said looking away, chuckling.  
  
“No one’s coming for you because they all think you’re dead,” Dean said sternly.  
  
Castiel went silent.  
  
“If it makes you feel any better, I heard it was a great ceremony. Very emotional.” Dean said coldly.  
  
Castiel remained silent, looking at the ground.  
  
“A lot of people died that day and we have no identification for you. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself. Let’s start with your name?”  
  
No response.  
  
“Alright, I get it. It’s a lot to take in. Everyone you’ve ever known thinks you’re dead, but the sooner you speak up-”  
  
“Castiel,” he said very softly, still looking at the ground.  
  
“What was that?” Dean asked leaning in.  
  
“My name. It’s Castiel,” he said, looking at Dean.  
  
“Interesting name. Well, Cas-”  
  
“Castiel,” he corrected, staring intently into Dean’s eyes.  
  
“I heard you. I like Cas better,” Dean smirked.  
  
“Why are you keeping me here? What could you possibly want with me?”  
  
“Information. What do your people know about me, my brother, and my group? How do we get into your kingdom unseen? How many of you are there?” Dean said leaning in closer to Castiel.  
  
“What makes you think that I’m going to tell you any of this?”  
  
Dean stood up, grabbed Castiel’s face with his hand fiercely, and bent down, bringing their faces closer.  
  
“Because _we_ saved your life. You owe us some respect,” Dean said, glaring into the knight’s eyes. They stayed there like that for a moment, just glaring. Their faces both got less intense. Finally Castiel moved his face out of Dean’s hand.  
  
“How long was I sleeping?”  
  
“Two weeks,” Dean said, standing back up.  
  
“There’s no way that could be true!” Castiel said, shocked.  
  
“Hey, man, witch stuff. I don’t write the rules”  
  
“How…am I still alive?”  
  
“We, well, _I_ did what I could to keep you surviving,” Dean admitted. “Sam wanted to just leave you for dead, but I refused to let that happen.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
Dean stood there motionless for a moment. He himself didn’t even know the answer to this question.  
  
“You ask too many questions,” Dean said, avoiding the question entirely.  
  
Sam opened the door. “Dean, Charlie’s here. Come outside for a minute. We need to talk.”  
  
Dean turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
Castiel sat there, trying to process the information that he’d just been given. He failed. He knew that he was a failure. Not only did he not come back with Dean, he didn’t come back at all. He’d been captured by the one man that _he_ swore to capture. On top of all of that shame, everyone he’d ever known thought him to be dead. He was absolutely defeated and helpless. He felt a lump form in his throat.  
  
“Damn it, no Castiel, don’t do this,” he said to himself. He couldn’t hold it back anymore. He was overwhelmed. Tears began to stream down his face. “Damn it.”  
  
Suddenly, Dean opened the door and began walking up to Castiel, who was struggling to wipe his face with no hands to no avail. Dean stopped and stared into Castiel’s glistening blue eyes.  
  
“Wow. Uh. You…okay?” Dean asked, actually sounding concerned.  
  
Castiel glared up at Dean through his tear-soaked eyes. “ _Am I okay_?”  
  
Dean’s disposition shifted a bit. He became slightly less intimidating.  
  
“Look, man, hey. I know I’ve been aggressive. Truth is, we aren’t going to kill you or anything. We aren’t even going to hurt you. That would go against everything we stand for.” Dean began to walk closer to Castiel, who remained silent. “I get it. You’re scared, you’re probably freezing, and you’re overwhelmed. I understand. I’ve been there.”  
  
Castiel just looked at Dean, squinting his eyes a bit.  
  
“What just happened?” Castiel thought to himself. “This isn’t how this sort of thing is supposed to go. He just turned into a different person.”  
  
Dean walked back over to the chair he had placed in front of Castiel and sat down.  
  
“Why are you being kind now? I don’t understand,” Castiel said, staring into Dean’s eyes.  
  
“I uh, guess I just forgot that you’re a person too. I only saw you as a knight of the kingdom that took my parents from me.”  
  
The two men stared at each other, neither really knowing what to say next.  
  
Suddenly Sam burst through the door. “Dean! What are you doing? They’re coming this way right now! We gotta go! Now!!!” he yelled.  
  
Dean shot up from the chair looking incredibly concerned. He looked at Castiel, then back at Sam.  
  
“What’s happening?” Castiel asked, the concern on Dean and Sam’s faces making him grow more and more terrified.  
  
“We don’t have time Dean. Just leave him. Let’s go, now!” Sam urged.  
  
Dean looked at Castiel, completely torn on what to do.  
  
“Sorry for this,” he said to the bound Castiel before hitting him on the back of the head, knocking him out cold.  


* * *

When Castiel woke up, he was no longer bound to a chair. He was laying in a bed in a room bigger than the last one he was in, wearing new clothes. He had no idea where he was. Had he been captured by whoever Sam and Dean were running from? The room was dark, but he made his way to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. Suddenly he heard movement from the other side, someone began to unlock the door. He walked back to the bed, frightened at the uncertainty of what was to come next.  
  
Dean Winchester opened the door, carrying a wooden tray with chicken and greens on it. He lit a torch on the wall and walked over to Castiel.  
  
“I thought you might appreciate some real food.” Dean said, placing the tray down on the table. “We’ve been slipping potion down your throat for the past couple weeks. So, here you go. I made it myself. We had to leave your armor behind. Sorry, it was too heavy. Hope you don’t mind the new clothes. They might be too big because they’re mine.”

“Thank you. I am quite comfortable. But what happened? I thought you were going to leave me behind,” Castiel said as he sat down at the table.  
  
“You kidding? No way. I don’t care what Sam says- you’re gonna be good for us,” Dean said smiling and sitting across from Castiel  
  
A spark ignited in Castiel’s stomach as he heard Dean say this.  
  
“Who was after you?” Castiel said as he began to eat.  
  
“Right, about that. I have some…unsettling news,” Dean said. Castiel stopped mid bite. “It was the Knights of The Twisted Crown. They weren’t after me, they were after you. Somehow, they know you’re alive. I don’t know how, but they know. And somehow they found you. Again, no idea how.”  
  
“So they’re after me? Why?” Castiel said, continuing to eat.  
  
“Another question I have no answer to. But, until we know you’re safe, I have a proposition for you.”  
  
“Alright?”  
  
“Stay with me. With us. We’ll protect you,” Dean said, looking into Castiel’s eyes.  
  
“But I have to get back, Dean. My kingdom needs my service. They need to know I’m alive.”   
  
“You don’t know how to get back to your kingdom from here, and with the beasts in the forest, the witches, and now The Twisted Crown after you, your chances of survival on your own are slim to none. Stay with us and we will keep you safe,” Dean insisted.  
  
“Your people…will they? I’m still a knight at the end of the day. Why should they want to protect me?”  
  
“They may not like it, but they will do what I tell them to. They respect me, and they’ll protect you if I say they should. C’mon. You know it’s your best chance. You just gotta trust me,” Dean said, still gazing into Castiel’s eyes, looking as though he were almost begging.  
  
“It appears I have no other choice, so fine. I will stay,” Castiel said, unsure himself if he meant it or not.

Dean smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. We may make a bandit out of you yet, Cas,” he teased.  
  
“Castiel. And don’t count on it.”  
  
“Well, I don’t know about you, Cas, but I’m getting cramped in here. Whaddya say we take this out into the main hall, eh?” Dean said standing up.  
  
“Dean, wow, hold on. I don’t know if I can handle that right now,” he said looking semi-panicked.  
  
“Ah, nonsense. You’ll be fine, c’mon. You can do this,” he said grabbing Cas’ arm, leading him to the door.  
  
Dean opened the door, led Cas down the hall, down the stairs, and into the main hall where they could hear the conversations of the bandits. However, conversation ceased when they saw Castiel out. Everyone stared at him, then at Dean.  
  
“Everyone, this is Cas. He’s going to be staying with us for a little while until we can figure out what to do with him.”  
  
The small crowd reacted negatively.  
  
“Seriously? He’s one of _them_!” Ash said angrily.  
  
Castiel stood awkwardly behind Dean. He had no idea how to handle this situation.  
  
“And now he’s one of us…at least temporarily. This is happening, so, accept it. If anyone gives Cas any crap they’ll have to deal with me, got it?” Dean snapped.  
  
The crowd remained silent.  
  
“Good” Dean said, “Carry on.”  
  
Conversations slowly resumed. There were many, but Castiel knew they were all talking about him.  
  
Dean led Cas through the burning glares and dirty looks of the other bandits over to his usual spot where Sam and Charlie were sitting and drinking together.  
  
“Guys, this is Cas. You haven’t formally been introduced yet,” Dean said, motioning to Cas.  
  
“Sorry about almost leaving you behind, Cas. I was panicked and didn’t know what to do,” Sam said shaking Cas’ hand.  
  
“I understand completely, Sam. No hard feelings.”  
  
“Hi, Cas, my name’s Charlie. I’ve known these two for quite a while now. I’ve never met a knight, unless you count running away from one as meeting one. I have so many questions for you!” Charlie said, excitedly shaking his hand.  
  
“Well, hopefully I can give you the answers you’re looking for. But to be clear, I won’t compromise the defenses of my kingdom.” he responded.  

“We’ll see about that,” Dean said, winking at Cas, handing him a tankard full of Ale.   
  
Dean pulled up a chair right next to him and the two sat across from Sam and Charlie.

As the night went on, it got progressively less awkward and tensions slowly faded. Maybe that’s just the way things go, or maybe it was all the alcohol. Who knows.  
  
“C’mon Cas, get down here,” a drunken Dean yelled up from the table that he, Charlie, and a few other bandits were dancing on.  
  
“Yeah, Cas, come have some fun!” Charlie said while dancing around. “You’ve been through a lot- you deserve it!”  
  
Sam had been sitting with Cas. The two were both not very interested in parties. Sam had some interesting questions about life as a knight, what the kingdom was like, how it was living there, and what sort of education was available. They actually hit it off quite well, the way two people do when they’re intellectual equals. The two watched together as Charlie and Dean danced around together to the music some of the bandits were playing, making complete fools of themselves. Sam glanced at Cas who was half smiling while watching Dean.  
  
“Hey, man, don’t worry about me. Go have fun. I’m not much of a dancer- I’d rather watch,” Sam said, knowing that some part of Cas wanted to go join in.  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Yeah, get out there. Like Charlie said, you deserve it.”  
  
“But everyone else is down there…we’ve all been drinking. What if they get violent?”  
  
“I think that you may be under the impression that we’re a little more vicious than we actually are. Plus, c’mon, if anyone tries anything Dean will kick their ass. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Go!” Sam said smiling, pushing Cas’ knee.  
  
“Alright,” Cas said, standing up slowly.  
  
Dean saw him stand, smiled, and motioned for him to come down and join the fun.  
  
“Get down here, blue eyes!” he beckoned.  
  
So he did. Cas walked down the small staircase, over to the table, and before he knew it, Charlie had grabbed him and they were dancing together. Charlie grabbed Cas’ hands and started jumping in a circle with him. Dean just danced beside them, joining in on the drinking song that the others were howling. Cas would normally be absolutely humiliated to be seen jumping around like a fool, but the alcohol made him lose his inhibitions. He jumped around, and danced. Cas was having fun, real fun, for the first time in a very long time. There were so many people crowded onto the table, everyone was bumping into each other. Cas almost accidentally got bumped off the table. As he began to fall, Dean reached out, grabbed him by his shoulders, and pulled him in close to him.

“You okay?” Dean yelled, his brow furrowed in concern, looking into his eyes, still holding him.  
  
“Yes,” Cas nodded smiling. “Thank you!”  
  
“Alright then, let’s keep going!” Dean said grinning, grabbing Cas and pulling him closer.  
  
“I’m sorry, I’m not very good at this!” Cas said embarrassed.  
  
“Ah come on, it’s easy” Dean said, placing his hands in Cas’ and dancing with him. 

They danced like that for a little while, hand in hand, lightly swaying together. Then somehow the two got closer. It was no longer just dancing and holding hands, it was grabbing arms, dancing closer, eyes meeting, and mutual smiles. Dean’s arm went behind Cas’ back, hand firmly placed with Cas’ arm around Dean’s waist, bringing him even closer. They stopped for a moment, faces merely inches apart. The party continued behind them as they stood in each other’s arms, eyes locked to one another’s. They stood there, just looking at each other, both unsure of what to do in that moment.  
  
“You ok?” Dean asked Cas again, a softer smirk on his face as he gazed into his sky blue eyes.

“I am, Dean. I really am. Thanks to you,” he said, maintaining eye contact. “It’s weird, funny even, you’d think after everything that’s happened…” Cas paused, losing his train of thought in those stunning green eyes of Dean’s. God, those eyes… He’d never been looked at that way before, like somehow even though they’d only known each other a short time, Cas was Dean’s whole world. He wasn’t sure why or even how he could have possibly felt that way, but in that moment, Dean’s eyes glued to his, he didn’t care. Somehow, even with the perpetual movement of everyone around them, it felt as though they were the only two in the room. Dean put his hand gently on Cas’ face. The two began slowly moving in towards each other, closing their eyes, pulses racing, when suddenly, the table buckled under the pressure of everyone dancing on it, and they all tumbled to the floor. Cas fell on top of Dean. As they lay there drunkenly laughing, Cas realized something.  
  
“Dean, I haven’t laughed this hard in years. I’ve been so busy trying to be the best soldier that I’d almost forgotten what it was like to feel.”  
  
Dean looked at him, smiled, and began to sit up. The two helped each other up, and at that point, the music had stopped, and the party was over. People began to go to their respective rooms, for some people, that was the floor.  
  
“Alright, I’m hitting the hay, sir knight.” Dean teased, trying to sound as regal as he could while bowing. “I knew you had a little fun in you.” He took Cas’ hand, kissed it, then walked away.   
  
Cas just smiled, he had no words. Nothing could be said to describe how he felt. He watched Dean walk up the stairs, and disappear behind the corner. Cas walked to his own temporary room, a smile plastered on his face, closed the door behind him, and took off his shirt. He settled down in bed. He couldn’t get the image of Dean staring at him out of his head. It calmed him, and somehow, after everything that happened to him. Cas fell fast asleep with a smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Then Golden Kingdom had fallen. Castiel walked through the destroyed gates of his once proud kingdom, and all he saw was rubble, smoke, and fire. The sky was red, thunder and lightning stuck all around him. From every corner of the now desolate kingdom, he heard the cries of his people. The wind whipped viciously, and through the pained screams, one female’s voice stood out in particular, calling out his name. Castiel ran to find this woman, jumping over flames and broken walls, until he finally found her. She was under a collapsed portion of a house. Castiel ran to it and began digging furiously, picking up large pieces of stone and tossing them aside. Finally a hand burst out from under the rubble. Castiel pulled the hand, picking the woman up to find that it was Hannah. She was broken, bloody, hysterical.  
  
“Castiel…why did you leave…we needed you…you’ve killed us…you’ve killed me…” she said faintly, her life fading.  
  
“Hannah! I didn’t mean to leave you! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Castiel said, screaming through his tears. 

Suddenly the screams that he heard all started chanting in increasing volume an intensity, “ _You’ve killed us! You’ve killed us! You’ve killed us!_ ” The wind grew harsher, the chanting deafening, the thunder and lighting struck more and more rapidly, the walls began to fall around Castiel, he looked up and recoiled in horror as he was about to be crushed. Suddenly he woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air, tears in his eyes. It was still night time. The moon was full and he was still in Dean’s hideout. He wiped the tears from his face and got out of bed. He knew what he had to do. He got dressed and left his room. He walked through the main hall, over the bodies of the sleeping bandits, and picked up a sword that was lazily leaned up against the wall near the front door. He stopped, looking around at the hall, then down at the broken table. He thought of Dean, he thought of how this man made him feel, how his sudden unannounced departure may make _him_ feel.  
  
“No. None of that matters,” he decided to himself. Castiel turned back around. “I’m sorry, Dean.” And with that, he slowly opened the door. It opened with a loud droning creak, whether or not is was actually loud or it was just Castiel imagining it, he had no idea. He slowly exited the hideout, and began to walk away.  
  
“Just turn back” he told himself, unable to shake the feeling that he wanted to stay. “No, they need you, Castiel. Your people need you,” he convinced himself.   
  
Castiel had been walking for about 30 minutes through the dark, through the dense trees and brush, when he finally admitted to himself that he was absolutely lost. He wandered a bit more until he finally found a dirt path in the grass. He followed it a moment or two, when he saw a cloaked woman on the path just up ahead. She was shorter, hunched over, and seemingly harmless.

“I can ask her for help. She isn’t a threat,” he thought to himself. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he said walking up behind the woman, who had now halted, “I’m a bit lost and need help. Could you tell me how to get to The Golden Kingdom from here?”

The woman was silent. As Castiel walked up to her, she stood up straight, she was much taller than he had first thought. Still shorter than he was, but taller than he had thought. She slowly turned around to face him. She had red hair, and was wearing a black mask, like one you’d see at a royal ball on a woman of much wealth.  
  
“I know you,” she said in a Scottish accent, eyes narrowing. “You’re that dead knight, aren’t you? Sir Castiel?”  
  
“Uhm. No. No, I’m sorry. I am no knight. If he’s dead, then he’s dead,” he lied, trying to sound convincing in an attempt to protect himself.

“Are you quite sure? You definitely look like him,” she insisted, eyes examining his face with a sly grin.  
  
“Yes, ma’am. Can you help me or not?” he said, slowly reaching for his sword.  
  
The woman glanced down at his sword, eyebrows raised. She chuckled a bit. “Oh, no, no need for that, dear.” Castiel sighed a breath of relief, she looked back at him with a stern look on her face, “It won’t save you.”  
  
She lunged her right hand to the side and Castiel’s sword flew off into a nearby tree. Startled and shocked, he tried to run, but she mumbled something he couldn’t understand. She thrust her hands towards him and he found that he could no longer move. The woman walked up to him, slowly bringing herself inches away from his face.  
  
“Where have you been hiding, Sir Castiel? I’ve heard many people have been looking all over for you,” she said, glaring into his eyes.  

“That’s enough, witch,” a familiar gruff voice said from behind her. “Let him go.”  
  
The witch turned around. “My, my. The infamous Dean Winchester in the flesh,” she said, faking excitement.  
  
Dean was standing there, sword drawn out, the blade only inches from her body. She didn’t flinch.  
  
“Let. Him. Go. Or I will kill you,” he said threateningly, a look of disgust on his face. 

“Odd. Aren’t you the lot that doesn’t kill people?” she said, pretending to be confused, still with a smug grin on her face. 

“ _Innocent_ people. Two things that you are not. Now release him, I won’t ask again.” Dean looked furious. Castiel wasn’t sure if it were at the witch or him. Probably both.  
  
The witch began to laugh. “You really think you’re a match for me?”  
  
“Alone, probably not. But I suggest you take a good look around,” he said with a smirk. 

The witch looked around. Slowly, torches began to light, one by one, until she realized she was completely surrounded. She froze, her head snapped back to Dean glaring at him furiously.  
  
“What’s it gonna be?” he asked, grinning. He knew he’d won.  
  
After a moment of thought, the witch swore, “This isn’t over, Winchester.”  
  
“Yes. It is.” Dean said, drawing back his weapon to strike her down, but it was useless. He swung at her, and she merely vanished into a cloud of black smoke. With her departure, Castiel regained control of his body.  
  
Dean stood there for a moment, looking at the ground. Castiel found it in himself to speak.  
  
“Dean, I…”  
  
“Don’t ever pull this shit again, Cas,” he said, cutting him off, sheathing his sword. The rest of the bandits began walking back. “This time we had your back. That’s because I wanted to prove to you that I am good on my word. Next time you _will_ be on your own,” he warned, sounding almost angry.  
  
“Dean, you have to understand. I have to go back. My people need me,” Castiel explained.  
  
“I’m sorry, Cas, but you can’t go back.” he said shrugging and shaking his head. “You can’t go on your own. That’s been made very clear, and _we_ sure as hell can’t take you.”  
  
“Why not? If you’re going to protect me anyway, why not help me get back home?” he said, volume increasing.  
  
“Because I’d practically be asking my people to walk directly into prison. We’ll be captured, there’s no doubt in my mind about that,” Dean said, getting louder.

“Why do you even care about what happens to me, Dean? Why don’t you just let me go?! It doesn’t make any sense! You hardly know me!”  
  
“I’m sorry you feel that was, Cas,” Dean said softer  
  
“And stop calling me that! My name is Castiel!” he screamed furiously, it echoed for a few moments, then silence.  
  
Dean glared at Cas, raised his eyebrows, then looked away with hurt in his eyes. Cas stared at the man in front of him and realized that he was completely vulnerable. He was no longer this ruthless bandit, he was a man with a complicated past and real emotions. There was a brief moment of silence, neither knowing what to say.  
  
Dean took a breath, “I care…because I care,” he said calmly, finally breaking the silence. “And I can’t tell you _why_ I care because I don’t know why myself.”  
  
Another pause. Cas’ face looked remorseful.  
  
“I…shouldn’t have yelled. I’m sorry, Dean,” Castiel said, walking towards him, knowing he had hurt him.  
  
“It’s fine,” Dean said coldly, still not looking at Castiel. “We need to go back now,” he said turning around. “You coming, _Sir Castiel?_ ” he said not facing him.  

“Yes, Dean. I am.” Cas said, his voice soft, almost lifeless. Cas had no idea why he felt as though he were about to cry. He felt such incredible guilt, but why? It was the look on Dean’s face after he yelled at him that made him feel this way.   
  
The two walked together under the full moon for about 15 minutes, neither saying a word.  
  
Finally, Cas broke, stopping dead in his tracks and grabbing Dean’s wrist.  
  
“I’m sorry, Dean. I shouldn’t have yelled. I was just confused and scared and-” Cas paused as he began to hold back tears. “Not now, Cas, hold yourself together,” he thought.  
  
Dean looked at him, knowing what Cas was feeling from the look on his face. He grabbed the ex-knight, and held him close.  
  
“I’m just scared, Dean. I’m scared,” Cas said, giving in and breaking down. His forehead on Dean’s throat, his face buried in his chest.  
  
“I know you are. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. I will protect you. I promise, Castiel.” Dean said softly, running his fingers through Cas’ dark hair.  
  
“No, no,” Cas said, looking up at Dean through his tears. “You call me Cas.”  
  
Dean smiled.  
  


* * *

The Twisted Crown sat upon the head of King Fergus Crowley. The only thing more vicious and brutal than he, was the crown itself. He sat upon his throne, made of black marble, stained with blood. He was draped in elegant dark purple and black robes. On his right sat his mother, Lady Rowena. She was a short woman of few words. Her robes were elegant and flowing, and her face was beautiful, full of dignity and pride. Her hair was as red as the blood her son spilled to achieve his title on the throne. He was king. She merely lounged about in the spoils. Three knights stood in front of them, dressed in dark black metal armor. Lucifer, the ex-Knight of The Highest Order who betrayed his former ruler, Abaddon, Lucifer’s ruthless and headstrong second in command, and Meg, a personal favorite of the king’s. It was daytime in the wicked kingdom, though you wouldn’t have seen the sun through the thick clouds that never seemed to leave, anyway.  
  
“I have summoned you here because I have great news,” the twisted king said in his deep Scottish voice. “We have learned the location which The Golden Kingdoms prodigal son has been hiding.”  
  
“That is excellent, my Lord. Who has given you this information?” Lucifer said in a bow.  
  
“Irrelevant. The informant is credible. Do not question the crown,” the king said. He had a way of being authoritative, while rarely raising his voice.  
  
“Naturally, your Excellence.” Lucifer said.  
  
“He’s with the Winchester bandits. You are going to capture him.”  
  
“What shall we do with the bandits?” Abaddon asked, hoping she knew the answer already.  
  
“Slaughter them,” Crowley demanded. Abaddon smiled wickedly. Lady Rowena looked at Crowley.  
  
“With all due respect, your Grace, how can we find this knight if we don’t know where the Winchester hideout is?” Meg asked.  
  
“We know now where they hide. Their hideout is an old inn that has been hidden away for decades in an overgrown section of the forest. We have a map with its exact location,” he said, tossing Lucifer the map. “Lucifer, assemble a team. You will leave and attack them at night. Castiel comes back alive. Kill anyone who gets in your way.”  
  
Lady Rowena lightly places her hand on her son’s shoulder, clearing her throat, looking in his eyes with one eyebrow raised.  
  
“If you find that Dean Winchester the others are looking for, bring him too. He could be used to our advantage. Everyone else, kill,” the twisted king ordered. 

“Yes, your Grace. It shall be done.” Lucifer replied.  
  
“Go,” Crowley commanded.  
  
“Our lives for the crown!” the three knights proclaimed, swords drawn to the sky.

* * *

Cas woke up in his bed. It was morning, closer to the afternoon. He stumbled out of bed, got dressed, and went out into the main hall. There, he saw Dean and Charlie- the others had gone.  
  
“Well, good morning sleeping beauty,” Dean said from across the way with a smile.  
  
“Good morning. Where is everyone?” Cas said yawning.  
  
Dean and Charlie looked at each other, Dean looked back to Cas.  
  
“They’re out getting food and supplies,” Dean lied, figuring what Cas didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“Oh, alright. What’re you two doing?” Cas said walking up to them. They had a large sheet of parchment and a map on one of the tables. They had written on it, with some parts of the kingdom circled.  
  
“We’re uh…planning our next heist,” Dean said, eyes squinted, hoping Cas wouldn’t freak out.  
  
“Oh, I want no part in that, then,” Cas said, walking to the nearest table, dismissing it entirely.  
  
“I figured as much. Maybe I’ll go take this to my room…Charlie, do you mind keeping Cas company while I finish this?” he asked, rolling up the piece of paper.  
  
“Not at all!” Charlie said with a smile. 

“Be back in a bit” Dean said, walking up the stairs.  
  
Charlie was a slightly younger woman, probably about 20 years of age. She had red hair, and pale skin, and nearly always seemed to wear a smile on her face. She was strong, and from what Cas had heard, an excellent scout.  
  
“So, Cas. How’re you feeling?” she asked walking towards him. 

“I’m alright.” he said rubbing his eyes. 

“Do you feel sick at all? Tired? Maybe a headache?” she asked, sitting down in front of him.  
  
“Tired sure, but I just woke up. Other than that, I’m fine, why do you ask?” he said confusedly. 

“You had an encounter with a witch last night, and from the looks of it, a powerful one. I just want to make sure you came out Curse-free.”   
  
“Very true, but I’m feeling quite fine, thank you. How do you know the symptoms of the Curse?”

“I’ve seen it happen first hand.”  
  
“Y’know, I actually haven’t. Being a knight, I didn’t really have a social circle outside of the knighthood, and my mother is long dead, so I didn’t know anyone it could’ve happened to.”  
  
“Wow, I don’t know whether to feel sorry or to tell you you’re lucky.” she admitted, looking concernedly into his eyes. “Sorry, that was probably rude to say.”  
  
Cas shrugged.  
  
“I know what it’s like because the love of my life was cursed by a witch,” she admitted.  
  
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”  
  
“It’s been really hard. I actually met her through Sam and Dean.”  
  
_Her,_ Cas thought to himself. _So it’s not just me and Dean._  
  
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did it happen?”

“It was about a month ago. She and I were walking through the woods, looking for food to hunt, and we saw this older woman who looked like she needed help. We went over to help her up, and she grabbed Jo and said something I couldn’t understand. I struggled to get her off of Jo, and went to kill her, but she vanished. Jo said she was fine, though. A few days later, Jo started telling me that she felt sort of sick. She started sleeping more and more…and now she won’t wake up. I’ve been doing everything I can to keep her alive…but, the potions I need cost a lot of money. Money that I don’t have. That’s why I’ve been thieving. Jo used to do it, I would just stay here and wait for her to get back. But ever since she was put in the curse, I’ve been thieving to keep her alive.”  
  
Cas actually understood. He always thought of thieves as lazy and unjust. This woman was different. She was thieving for a reason. A noble one.  
  
“You would have made a noble knight. I couldn’t imagine losing someone that I loved. I’m sorry, Charlie,” he said, placing his hand on hers.  
  
“Yeah, well, I don’t think he’d be okay losing you either,” she said smirking, looking into his eyes.

“Wait, what?” Cas said, pulling his hand back. 

“C’mon, you know what I’m talking about,” Charlie said raising one eyebrow, not buying his act for a minute.

“I don’t…I don’t _love_ anyone,” Cas said, looking away, faking confusion.

“Well, maybe not yet. But you will. I think I’ve got a pretty good eye for this sort of thing,” Charlie said almost giggling.  
  
“Charlie I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cas said getting defensive and nervous. “She can’t know, no one can” Cas thought to himself.  
  
“Cas. It’s okay. Hey, you’re okay. You can trust me,” she said, calming him down.  
  
“I don’t think…I doubt that he feels the way that I do. Not after what I did last night,” Cas finally admitted. 

“Cas. I’m telling you this in confidence. I won’t lie to you. I was the one who saw you leaving last night. It was my turn to stand guard. Dean told me to wake him if you tried to leave. When I told him that you were gone, he turned white as a ghost. He got frantic, throwing on his clothes, yelling at everyone to go out and find you. He looked worried and furious at the same time. If one of his people had snuck off and left like that, he would have let them. You’re different. I can tell he has taken a special liking to you, even if he won’t admit it.”  
  
Cas smiled, “Could it be true?” he wondered to himself. “Thank you, Charlie. I feel much more at ease now,” he said, smiling at the red headed woman. 

Charlie nodded back. Dean opened his door and came downstairs.  
  
“Cas, I can’t wait for them to get back. I need food. Wanna come with me?” Dean asked.  
  
Cas looked at Charlie, she widened her eyes, raised her eyebrows, and slightly shook her head, telling him to say yes.  
  
“Yes, okay,” Cas said, semi-unsure. He was more nervous to be alone with Dean than anything.

“Alright, then,” he said tossing Cas a crossbow. “Let’s go.”  
  
“Have fun,” Charlie said, wearing a grin the size of the sun.  
  
The two men walked out of the hideout, and into the forest. 

It was quiet for a moment or two.  
  
“You ever hunt before, Cas?” Dean asked.  
  
“I never had to. We had other knights who would do it for everyone.”  
  
“Ah. So this is going to be fun, then,” he said smiling.  
  
“You know you don’t have to lie to me, Dean. I know the others aren’t out searching for food and supplies,” Cas said, looking at him. 

“Yeah, I figured you were too smart for that,” Dean said smirking, observing the area around them for possible lunch. 

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you, Dean.”  
  
“Trouble? Please, I’ve dealt with worse. You’re fine,” he said, putting his hand on Cas’ shoulder.

“Dean, can I tell you something?” Cas asked, impressed that he was about to tell Dean of his feelings.

“Sure Cas, anything,” Dean said, keeping his face calm while his heart was beginning to race.  
  
There was a moment where they had stopped, staring at each other.  
  
“I uh…don’t know how to use a crossbow,” he bailed out. “ _Damnit,_ ” he thought to himself.  
  
“Oh. It’s easy. C’mere, I’ll show you how. Let’s get off the path, though. Over here,” he said, pointing off into a small tree surrounded clearing just off the path.  
  
The two walked off the path into their own private area.  
  
“Okay, we’re going to aim for that boulder over there,” Dean said, pointing to a boulder roughly 30 feet away. “Okay, now you’re gonna stand strong, feet apart, alright? One in front of the other. Now, hold the trigger with your dominant hand. Which is your…?”  
  
“Left hand”  
  
“Alright, a lefty. Okay, so hold the trigger with your left hand, then support the rest with your right hand. Make sure your fingers don’t get in the way of the string. That would be bad.”  
  
Cas did as Dean instructed. “Okay, what’s next?” he said, merely holding up the crossbow with the back to his stomach.  
  
“Alright. How you hold it is very important. You have to put it…well,” Dean said, coming up behind Cas. “It’s easier for me to just show you.”  
  
“Okay,” Cas said, pulse beginning to race.  
  
Dean came up behind Cas, gently putting his arms around him, hands on top his. His strong chest was right against Cas’ back. His face directly to the right of his, cheek to cheek. His arms felt strong and warm around Cas’ body. He softly moved the back of the crossbow against Cas’ left shoulder.  
  
“There. Now, when you’re ready, shoot,” Dean said calmly, not moving from the position, nor wanting to.  
  
Cas pulled the trigger and took the shot, hitting the rock in the dead center.  
  
“Yes! Look at you go!” Dean said, still unmoved from the position.  
  
Cas liked how it felt to be in Dean’s arms. He liked feeling Dean’s warmth, being surrounded by his body. He felt safe.  
  
Cas was silent, his heart nearly beating out of his chest, a soft smile on his face. He slowly began to turn around, dropping the crossbow to the ground, putting his arms around Dean’s waist. Dean stared into his eyes. The way the sun hit them was absolutely enchanting. They held each other close, faces inches away.  
  
“Dean…I…” Cas began to say. But before he could finish, Dean softly grabbed Cas’ face, pulled him in, closed his eyes, and kissed him. Cas moved his arms around Dean’s back. They kissed again and again. They’d both never done this with another man before. They’d thought about it, wanted to, even fantasized about it, but never had. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath, staring into each other’s eyes. _God, those eyes…_  
  
“Wow,” Dean said, shaking his head slightly, gazing into Cas’ eyes, foreheads still together with a large grin on his face. “That was-” he was cut off by Cas pulling him in again. Dean had one hand behind Cas’ head in his hair, the other around his lower back, gripping it. They slowly made their way to laying in the grass below. They lay there, lips pressed against each other, Cas on top of Dean. Dean loving the feeling of Cas on top of him, the weight, the heat, gravity pulling them closer together. Cas feeling Dean’s body on his, feeling the scratch of stubble against his inner lip, hearts pounding, hands wandering. It was electric. The sparks flew, the fire raged, and everything felt perfect. They stopped, both gasping for air. Cas let himself fall to the side, head on Dean’s chest, eyes closed, arm across him holding his shoulder. They just laid there, no words needed to spoken. The world felt at absolute peace, Cas felt safe in Dean’s arms and Dean felt amazing holding Cas. The soft breezes made the trees rustle slightly, the birds softly chirping, the sun blocked by a small cloud, the grass was cool and nice on the skin. Dean’s chest was soft and his body warm. Absolute paradise. Nothing could ruin this perfect moment.  

Suddenly, there was a loud stirring in the bushes nearby. Cas and Dean quickly stood up, Cas handing Dean the crossbow. Dean readied it.  
  
“Who’s there?” Dean yelled. Cas stood behind Dean, scared yet still comforted, knowing that Dean would protect him. “Show yourself!”  
  
An exhausted Meg walked out of the forest. Cas panicked.  
  
“She’s one of The Knights of The Twisted Crown!!! She’s after me, Dean, shoot her!”  
  
Dean didn’t. “Meg? What’re you doing here?”  
  
“Wait, you _know_ her?!” Cas said completely shocked.  
  
“They know…where you are. They’re coming for you,” she said breathlessly.  
  
Dean and Cas’ bodies froze. “Who, Meg? Who is coming?!” Dean asked in a semi-panic.

“The Knights of The Twisted Crown.”


	6. Chapter 6

Dean slammed the door of his hideout open, rushing in with Cas behind him. “Everyone, get out here, now!”

 “Dean, hey, what’s going on? We just got back,” Sam asked concernedly

“We gotta get out of here. Now! We gotta pack everything we can carry and run!” Dean said, causing the bandits to stir. “Cas, go pack your stuff, help anyone who needs it.”  
  
“Why? Dean, what’s happening?” Sam asked again impatiently, walking up to his brother, placing his hand on his shoulder.

“The Knights of The Twisted Crown know where we are,” he said, moving past his brother, causing the small crowd of thieves to grow louder.  
  
“Wow, what?! How?!” Sam asked, brow furrowed in complete shock.

“I don’t know, this is what Meg told me, and you know we can trust her. Now move, everyone, start getting your stuff together now!” Dean ordered, slamming his fist down.

Cas was in his room. He got there and realized he didn’t really have a lot. He just had a few of Dean’s outfits that he was given and that was truly it. Dean ran to his room, gathering up his supplies, his weapons, and a few articles of clothing, putting them into a few cloth bags. He frantically searched his room for anything else, when he saw it: the blue stone necklace he’d stolen from Castiel the day they first met. He picked it up, looked at it a moment, then stuffed it in his pocket and left his room.   
  
After weaving in and out of the frenzied bandits, Cas found Charlie in her room, staring motionless at Jo’s sleeping body with tears in her eyes.

“Cas, what do I do?” she asked, looking at him in a teary panic.

“Gather up your belongings. I’ll carry her. I promise. I need to go see if anyone else needs help, but I _will_ be back,” Cas said looking at Charlie with complete sincerity.  
  
“Thank you, thank you, Cas” she said beginning to gather up her things.

It took the crowd about until sundown to collect themselves and organize where they were to go. The thieves all stood in the main hall holding their bundles. Cas was holding Jo. All were ready to leave, awaiting instruction from Dean, who was standing in front of them all at his spot above the fireplace.

“Are you all clear on where to go?” he asked the crowd.  
  
“Yes, Dean. We walk south about 10 miles until we see the large mountain with two points, walk up the path hidden by the trees on the east side, into the cave at the end of the path, and set up camp,” Robert said.  
  
“Good. I’m sorry, everyone. I don’t know how this happened, but it did. We knew this day could possibly come, and I’m proud of how quickly you’ve readied yourselves. Best of luck to you all. Sam and I will meet up as soon as we can,” he said

“Dean, you aren’t coming with us?” Cas asked, walking up to Dean with concern on his face, Jo still in his arms. 

“No. Sam and I are going to stay back. Maybe we can get some information from them by watching. Maybe we can find out who told them where the hideout is.”  
  
“Dean, please, be safe,” Cas said staring into his eyes. 

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Cas. I’ll be okay” he said placing his hand on the worried Cas’ shoulder.  
  
Cas couldn’t say anything. If he started to speak, his voice would break and he’d lose control and just start crying. He looked at Dean with tears forming in his eyes.  
  
“Hey, hey,” Dean said, wiping the tears from Cas’ eyes. “It’s gonna be okay, Cas. It’s gonna be okay,” he assured, pulling Cas in and kissing him. They stood there, foreheads touching for a moment. Dean pulled away. “Now, you’ve got a very important job to do, alright? You keep Jo safe for Charlie,” he said with a smile.

“Okay. I will. I promise,” Cas said.  
  
“Now, go. They’re leaving,” he said, pointing to the crowd.  
  
“C’mon Cas, we gotta go!” Charlie said, trying to hurry him along.

Cas turned to look at Dean, tears still in his eyes. “Goodbye, Dean.”  
  
“No, no, none of that. I’ll be with you sooner than you think. Now, go!!!” he said with urgency.   
  
Cas did so. As he walked to the door, he gave Dean one final look. Dean smiled at him and waved a little. Cas smiled back, still teary eyed, and nodded his head. As the bandits all left, the hall grew silent. Dean’s smile faded almost immediately.

“Sort of weird, isn’t it. One moment it’s our home, completely full of life, and now we’re leaving, knowing it’s about to be destroyed,” Sam said looking at Dean.  
  
“Yeah,” Dean said, gazing across his only home, tears in his eyes. “Yeah it is.”

 Sam walked to the door, opened it, and turned around to face Dean. “Time to go, Dean.”  
  
Dean looked back at Sam, tears falling from his face at this point, and yet he wasn’t sobbing, he wasn’t hysterical, his face as still as stone.  
  
“Dean, I know. It’s not easy for me, either. But we have to go if we’re going to make it out of this alive,” Sam urged calmly.

 Dean walked over to the door Sam had exited. He stopped, took one last glance at the only home he’d ever been able to call his own, closed his eyes, and shut the door behind him. It was night by then. Sam and Dean walked to a hidden ladder they had set up in one of the trees that their scouts used so they could see the small area around the hideout. They sat there in nearly complete darkness, the only sounds were the tree’s leaves rustling in the wind. They sat there for about 30 minutes, just staring. Suddenly, they heard the footsteps of what sounded like a small army. The two men looked around, but they couldn’t seem to pinpoint their location. Suddenly, one by one, torches lit. There they were. The Knights of The Twisted Crown. There were about 20 or so knights, all armed, all bloodthirsty.  
  
“For the crown!” the head knight yelled, his face concealed by his mask. This prompted all 20 of the knights to begin cheering, screaming, then all at once they burst in the door. From the tree top, the brothers could hear the destruction of furniture, the breaking in of doors, the frustrated and angered screams of the knights.  
  
“Where is that damned knight?!” Dean heard one of them scream. “Why is no one here?!” a different soldier asked viciously. 

 “They knew we were coming” the head knight yelled. “Burn it to the ground!” And with that, the Winchesters heard the whir of flames. The saw smoke begin to rise from the holes in the rooftop. Red, orange, and yellow danced in the windows, then suddenly all of the knights ran out, and ran away from the doomed inn. An inferno blazed in front of the boys. When he was sure that the knights were gone, Sam stood up.  
  
“Dean, it’s time to go. It’s done,” he said somberly. 

 Dean said nothing, it was like he hadn’t even heard him. He just sat there, knees to his chest, arms around his legs, with tears in his eyes, staring as the place he loved burned to the ground.

 “I’ll be waiting down there,” Sam said, trying to get his brother to acknowledge him.  
  
Dean did not. He just sat and stared. Silent, stone faced, utterly destroyed.

* * *

The bandits had arrived at the cave. It was relatively large, big enough for the whole group. They all walked in, some placing torches around the inside walls to light up the cave. An exhausted and sore Cas finally laid the sleeping Jo down after carrying her for a three and a half hour journey.Charlie sat next to them. Cas had collapsed on the floor, laying on his back, staring at the cave ceiling completely breathless.  
  
“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you, Cas,” Charlie said, completely grateful. 

“I do” Cas said softly, beckoning her to come close, still gasping for air. She leaned in. “Kill me,” he said looking with a smile. The two laughed.

“Have the rest of my water!” she offered.  
  
“Oh thank God” he said, chugging the entire container full.

“Alright everyone, welcome to our new home,” Ellen said, attempting to lighten the somber mood. She failed to do so.

“Charlie, can I ask for your help with something?” Cas asked sitting up.

“Yeah, Cas. Anything after what you did for me today,” she said with a smile.

“Can you tell me who some of these people are? I don’t know too many all that well, and I think it’s time that I start to.”

“Yeah, sure!” she said, sitting back down next to him. “That’s Robert” she said, pointing to the stout bearded man who was talking to Ellen. “We call him Bobby. He’s known the boys for a very long time- longer than I have. He’s much older than the rest of us.I think he’s always looked after the boys like they were his own.”  
  
Cas had a newfound appreciation for Bobby. “What an amazing man.”  
  
“Yeah. he’s great. That’s Ash,” she said pointing to the long haired man who was already drinking. “He’s Jo’s brother. Ellen, the woman that Bobby is talking to, is their mother.”  
  
“Who’s that girl over by herself against that wall over there? She looks…vaguely familiar,” he said pointing to the young blonde.  
  
“Oh, that’s Claire. She found us, but we’re not sure how. She’s as lost as Sam and Dean were when they were her age. We told her to leave a few times, warning that it would be dangerous to stay around us, but she stayed anyway, insisting that she had nowhere else to go.”  
  
“Why not?,” he wondered aloud, staring at the lost girl.

“She said she’d lost her parents a few years back. It was at a market, I guess there was an altercation with her father, James, and a few knights. One thing lead to another and he ended up stabbed. The wife was arrested. She passed away in her cell.”  
  
“That’s awful,” he said. “Those damned Twisted Crown knights are monsters.”  
  
“Oh, uh, it wasn’t them, Cas,” she said looking at him, eyes widening.  
  
“Then…who?” he said, eyes narrowed, brow furrowed in confusion. 

“It was The Knights of The Highest Order, Cas. This happened because of the people you used to stand with.”  
  
Cas froze. His eyes widened in realization. He remembered it now, he had tried to keep that day from his memory because that day was one of the most excruciating days of his entire life. It was a horrible accident. That was the day Castiel accidentally killed an innocent man. The only innocent life he has ever taken. And that would haunt him to his grave.

“Cas, you okay?” she asked, looking concerned.  
  
“Yeah. I just didn’t realize that we may have been just as bad as the twisted knights,” he said, still looking at the ground.

“I wouldn’t say you guys were just as bad, but you weren’t much better. I don’t blame you for not seeing it, Cas. You’d been conditioned into believing that you were doing the right thing for the greater good. Now you’re seeing it the way the commoners do. That’s not a bad thing. You’re not a bad person,” she said, attempting to console him.  
  
“Thank you, Charlie,” Cas said, faking a smile.  
  
“Of course, Cas,” she said, awkwardly sit-hugging him. “Okay, I’m exhausted, and I’m sure you are too. I’m going to try to sleep,” she said, unrolling the slightly cushioned mat she brought to sleep on. “Good night, Cas!” she said, laying next to Jo.  
  
“Goodnight,” he said, standing up, walking toward the front of the cave. He longed for Dean to be with him right now. He walked out to the opening, where the ground cut off, and sat down looking at the vast expanse of forest below him. He looked up at the moon, nearly full.“Please be safe,” he said softly to himself. After about 15 minutes, he stood up and walked back inside, walking to his things near the sleeping Charlie. He unrolled his sleeping mat, got the spare blanket that Charlie had brought for him, and laid down to rest.  


* * *

Cas was awoken by Charlie roughly an hour later. “Cas, wake up. They’re here.”  
  
Cas opened his eyes to see Sam and Dean standing at the front of the cave, speaking to Bobby. He got out of the blanket, and walked over to Dean.  
  
“Dean, are you okay?” he asked. Dean didn’t even appear to notice him. He remained looking forward, silent, stone faced. “Dean?” Cas asked, concern growing inside of him with every passing moment of silence. Dean walked past Cas, saying nothing. He walked to the back of the cave, laid his matt down, and laid himself upon it, facing the back wall of the cave.  
  
“Sam?!” Cas said, looking hurt.  
  
“He gets this way sometimes. Don’t take it personally. Give him some time and he’ll be back to the regular Dean. He’s taken this much harder than I thought he would,” Sam said, consoling his friend, sounding almost dead.  
  
“Okay. Thank you, Sam. Are you okay?” he asked.  
  
Sam shrugged a bit, looking around. “No. Uh, I’m not. But, I will be.” he said, nodding his head. 

“I’m sorry, Sam.”   
  
Sam shrugged again, walking away to lay down to rest. Ash had first guard duty.

Cas walked back to his mat and laid down under his blanket. He could see Dean laying there from where he was. What happened to him? It took everything in him to keep himself from going over and comforting him. “He just walked by me” he thought to himself. He closed his eyes, and somehow fell back asleep.  


* * *

Cas was awoken again. It was still nighttime. This time he was woken from his sleep by Ash tripping over one of the satchels that Ellen had brought. Cas looked around, rubbing his eyes. Everyone else was still sleeping, but Dean was gone. He looked frantically around from his makeshift bed, and saw Dean sitting at the edge of the cave opening. Cas sat there for a few minutes, debating with himself whether or not to go over and say something to Dean. Finally, he gave in and stood up. He stepped over the sleeping bodies of some of the bandits until he was finally coming up behind Dean.  
  
“May I take a seat?” Cas said. Dean flinched a little, continued to look forward nodding, saying nothing.  
  
The two sat in silence for what felt like a millennia.

“I couldn’t imagine what you must be feeling right now, Dean. I’m so sorry. Today was horrible.” Dean took a deep breath in, listening to Cas. “None of this would have happened if not for me. If I wouldn’t have fallen for that witch’s deception, you wouldn’t have found me and we wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re in. You’d still have a home, life would be as normal as it was before.” Dean still remained silent. “I understand if you blame me, I know I do. I understand…if you hate me, too,” he said, beginning to fight back tears.  
  
“I don’t,” Dean said, finally breaking his silence. “I don’t blame you Cas, I don’t hate you, and I _don’t_ regret finding you.”

Cas sighed a breath of relief. “I got so worried,” he said, chuckling while wiping his tears.

“I just watched the one home I ever truly had burn to the ground. Sam and I basically grew up in it,” he said finally looking at Cas. 

“I’m sorry Dean.”  
  
“You have nothing to apologize for, Cas. This isn’t your fault, and don’t you dare let anyone make you think that way, you understand me?”  
  
Cas nodded.  
  
“Good,” he said, the hint of a smile on his face. “I’m sorry I get like that sometimes. I don’t really know how to do the whole _emotions_ thing. I freeze up, I implode. I’m stuck on the inside of my mind, watching myself, screaming, telling myself to say something, do something, anything. But I can’t. It’s…horrible,” he said, brow furrowed, looking at Cas’ hand. After a moment, he grabbed it gently. Cas looked up at Dean, with a smile on his face. “ _I’m_ sorry, Cas. I never meant to hurt you like that, or make you worry about how I feel about you.”  
  
“It’s okay, Dean. You handle things the way you handle things. I accept that.”  
  
“It’s not okay, though. You and I have enough to worry about, what with basically the entire world trying to find us, now we’re living in a cave, I shouldn’t make you worry about us-” he said, pausing for a moment, eyes widening a bit. 

Cas’ heart nearly stopped. _Us_.  
  
“I…uh…apologize,” Dean stammered, eyes darting around, starting to sweat a bit. “I, uh, don’t want to assume anything here by calling us ‘ _us_ ’ or make you uncomf-“ Cas puts his lips to Dean’s, cutting him off.  
  
“You’re cute when you’re nervous,” Cas said, kissing Dean’s neck. Dean just smiled, eyes closed, making a low sound, a mix of a giggle and a moan.

Cas pulled back, looking into Dean’s beautiful eyes, savoring the moment. The way the moonlight shone on Dean somehow made him more beautiful than he’d ever been before. The way Dean looked at Cas, the same way he looked when they were standing on the table together. The cool gentle breeze blowing by. Cas moved his hand up to Dean’s face.  
  
“ _Us,_ ” Cas said, smiling and nodding. Dean pulled Cas in again, holding him in his arms, Cas’ head nearly in his lap. The two sat there on guard duty for about an hour. Cas’ head on Dean’s shoulder, his left hand on Dean’s strong bicep, their fingers intertwined. Dean telling Cas about the constellations he could see from there, teaching him about what they mean, kissing him occasionally in the process. It felt like it was just the two of them again, until Bobby walked up, ready to take his shift for guard duty. Dean stood up first, helping Cas back up.  
  
“Give ‘em hell, Bobby,” Dean said as they walked by the exhausted man.  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” he said back.

Cas walked with Dean back to his mat and was fully prepared to sleep there for the remainder of the night.  
  
“Hey, what’re you doing?” Dean whispered to Cas.  
  
“Going to sleep?” Cas hushed, raising an eyebrow, shaking his head.

“No, no, not over here you aren’t,” he said. “C’mon,” he urged, motioning his head in the direction of _his_ bed. “Bring your mat so we can double up…and the blanket. I forgot mine,” Dean said, taking Cas by the hand, leading him to his mat.  
  
Dean took his shirt off, and sat down on the left side of the matt. He looked up at Cas, who took his off as well. Dean smiled looking Cas up and down, admiring his beautiful body. He patted the space next to him with his hand and laid on his back, hands behind his head. Cas crawled under the blanket next to him, resting his head on Dean’s chest. Dean’s skin was soft, relaxing, and warm. His arm was laying across Dean’s body, and gently hooked on his shoulder. Dean moved his free arm around Cas, grabbing the other side of his bicep, holding him closer and tighter. Though the cave was chilly, Cas felt safe and warm. He lay there with the world’s biggest smile.  
  
“Night, Cas,” Dean said half asleep, kissing his forehead. Dean’s arms made Cas feel so incredibly unafraid. Any anxiety he had about the day was gone. He listened to the shallow breathing of Dean’s chest. His heart beat slowing in rhythm, calming down. The sounds that made Dean alive, the most natural noises sounded sweeter than any symphony ever could. No choir could ever possibly capture the beauty of this moment. Cas smiled as he let his mind wander off, and peacefully fell asleep.  
  
_Us._

 


	7. Chapter 7

About a month later, everyone had settled into their new home. Sam had been going out into the woods with a few of the other men from the group to chop down some trees using tools they’d swiped off a traveling salesman. They were using the wood from the trees to create furniture and using the smaller pieces as firewood.  
  
Dean opened his eyes and saw the back of Cas’ messy dark black hair right in front of him. The morning sun was softly shining into the cave, outlining Cas in a gentle light. He relished in the moment while Cas was still sleeping. Dean took it all in, sleepily nuzzling his nose into the back of Cas’ warm head, kissing it with a smirk. Dean loved how incredibly soft Cas’ body was. He loved holding him in his arms, feeling his back against his torso. The way that they fit together perfectly, as if they were only meant to sleep next to one another for the rest of their lives. Dean didn’t think he’d ever feel this way again. After Lisa was murdered a few years ago, he closed off his heart from ever yearning for someone else- until he met Cas. He moved his hand, which was just holding Cas’, lightly over the short hair on Cas’ chest, slowly moving it down to his stomach. Cas began to move a little, groaning deeply. He slowly turned over to face Dean, eyes still closed, letting out a big huff of air.Dean adored Cas when he was just waking up. The way his body was still warm, how his voice was even lower than usual. Cas slowly opened his blue eyes, smiling slightly. Above everything else, _this_ was Dean’s favorite part of waking up next to his person.

“Well hello there,” Dean said softly, smirking at his barely-awoken man. 

“Good morning, Dean,” Cas said sleepily, eyes half closed. Dean leaned forward a bit and kissed Cas’ soft lips. 

“How’d you sleep?” Dean asked, stroking his fingers through Cas’ hair. 

“Well, I think I’ve finally gotten used to sleeping on a cave floor,” Cas said, softly chucking.

“Good! I’m glad. Maybe Sammy or Bobby will make us a bed like Charlie’s soon. Or at least somewhere to put the sleeping matts on that’s not a stone floor.”  
  
“That would be nice,” Cas said, closing his eyes again, his head falling to the side.  
  
“Hey, hey. No, no, you’ve got to wake up!” Dean said, placing his hand on Cas’ cheek.

Cas just grunted back.

“C’mon, you’re about to learn some top secret thieving tricks from _the_ Dean Winchester,” Dean said with a smirk, jokingly taking himself that seriously.  
  
Cas opened his eyes, staring at Dean with one eyebrow raised. “ _The_ Dean Winchester, eh?”

Dean softly laughed back, kissing Cas’ face again. Cas loved the way Dean’s smile lit up his entire face.

“Alright, c’mon, up up up!” Dean said while standing up, pulling the blanket off of Cas’ body.  
  
The two got dressed, got their weapons, and headed out of the cave and into the forest. They were out there for several hours, Dean showing the bandit-in-training Cas his thieving secrets. He taught him how to properly pickpocket, how to create a new identity, ways to quickly blend into shadows or crowds. Cas pretended to forget how to hold his crossbow again, just as an excuse to make out with Dean. They went on for a few hours, until they heard a cart going by on the path on the other side of the trees. Dean peeked his head out to see who it was. It was an elderly baker who was bringing his wares to a nearby marketplace.  
  
“Alright, Cas. You ready for your first test?” Dean said quietly, pointing to the passing cart.  
  
“I, I don’t know,” Cas said, eyes widening, shaking his head.  
  
“You gotta dive in and do it at some point Cas,” he said walking up to him.

“Do you know how hard this is for me, Dean?”  
  
“I do, Cas. I’m not expecting anything huge here, promise. You were still a knight almost two months ago. I’m shocked you actually agreed to let me teach you this.”  
  
“Alright. I…guess I can try,” Cas said. This was incredibly tough on him. Everything in him was telling him this was wrong, yet, he was doing what he needed to in order to survive. 

“Okay, here’s the deal. I’m gonna go out there and start talking to him. You lurk in the trees- make sure he doesn’t see you. I’ll create a diversion, you take some of those loaves from the back of the cart, then you go back into the trees and hide until he’s gone. Got it?”  
  
“Got it.”  
  
“Good,” Dean said, kissing his man for good luck. With that, Dean walked through the trees to the path. Cas watched as he walked up to the exhausted elderly man. Cas’ first criminal act. Two months ago he was incarcerating people who did this, and here he was about to steal from an elderly man. Dean talked to the man for a few moments, looking through his wares, when suddenly, he faked a trip, causing some of the loaves of bread at the front of the cart to fall to the ground.  
  
“Okay Cas. This is it,” he said to himself. He came out of the shadows slowly, with his hood over his head. The man and Dean were trying to pick up the many mini rolls off the ground, bickering while they did so, Dean constantly apologizing. Cas slowly picked up two of the larger loaves, placing them under his arms. He was full of anxiety and fear, but also, in the strangest way, he was thrilled. He attempted to reach forward for a third loaf, feeling greedy, when one of the loaves he already had secured fell to the ground. As he instinctively jutted downward to grab it, his shoulder smacked into the cart with a loud bang. He froze as the salesman snapped around, he made eye contact with Dean.  
  
“Run!!!” Dean screamed, taking the rolls already in his hands, sprinting away.

The elderly man tried to reach for Cas as he grabbed the fallen loaf, but failed to catch him. Cas took off, running as fast as he could, catching up to Dean. The two kept running and running, gasping for air, laughing almost uncontrollably at this point. Dean branched off into the trees to the right, Cas followed. They were in the clear. Dean laid down on the grass, looking up at the sky, completely breathless, still laughing. Cas sat down next to him. 

“You did it,” he breathlessly said. “You actually did it, Cas!” Dean said with enthusiastic pride swelling in his voice. He sat up, and grabbed Cas’ shoulders, shaking him a bit, grinning from ear to ear. “That was awesome! You’re a natural!”  
  
Cas smiled back. “Dean, that was…thrilling! I’ve never felt so daring before! So dangerous,” he said smiling.  
  
Dean pulled him in, deeply capturing Cas’ lips with his own. Cas let out a deep, pleasantly surprised moan. They continued, Dean slowly beginning to place himself on top of Cas. Cas put his arms around Dean’s neck, his legs locked around Dean’s waist. They continued kissing, passionately, intensely, tongues dancing, exploring one another’s mouths. Cas moved his hands up to Dean’s hair, pulling it softly. Dean broke the kiss, moaning into Cas’ mouth. Dean kissed Cas’ bottom lip, biting it gently. He moved his way down, fervidly kissing Cas’ neck, prompting Cas’ eyes to shoot open, a moan flying out of his body. His arms pulled Dean even closer to him. He needed more. He needed to be as close to Dean as he could possibly be. Dean’s hips began moving- a slow, steady rhythm, their bulges beginning to rub against one another. Cas had never felt such lust before, and it felt incredible. Dean pecked every inch of Cas’ jaw, pulling him in again, holding his head in his hand. This was the first time they’d truly kissed this way. It was almost savage. Suddenly, Dean’s stomach let out a low groaning noise, letting it be known how hungry Dean truly was. They broke their kiss, laughing hysterically. Dean allowing himself to put his full weight on Cas, his face resting in between Cas’ shoulder and his neck while Cas’ hands stroked Dean’s hair, feet now to the side. They laid there, both breathless, motionless, and completely content.  
  
“Alright, bandit, let’s eat,” Cas said.  
  
“Yes, sir,” Dean said with a playful serious look on his face, quickly kissing Cas, and sitting back up.  
  
They ate their bread, had a lot left over, placed it in their satchels, and began to head home. They were a bit further off track than they had anticipated, which Dean used as an excuse to explore the surrounding forest a bit with Cas. He loved to adventure, and now he got to do it with someone he cared deeply about by his side. They could see the mountain, so they weren’t lost. They came upon a large meadow, beginning to cross through it holding hands.  
  
“Dean, can I ask you something?”  
  
“Anything.”  
  
“How did you get that scar?” he asked, looking at the small horizontal scar under Dean’s right eye.  
  
“After our parents were killed, Sam and I had to live in an orphanage for a bit.” Dean spoke, looking at Cas. “The people who ran it were horrible, abusive. We hardly got food, the living conditions were filthy, some kids even died.”  
  
“That’s awful” Cas said, looking down at the flowery grass.  
  
“So one day, Sam was feeling sick. It was lunchtime and we were all in line waiting to get our scraps of food. I guess Sam wasn’t going fast enough for one of the men who was supposed to be looking after us, so he pushed him and Sam fell to the floor. I freaked. I just about lost my damn mind. I started screaming and attacking the guy. I was throwing punches, kicking, and scratching…but, I was only about 10 years old and he was much older and bigger than me. He picked me up and threw me into one of the tables that was near us. I got a massive gash on my face and I’ve had the scar ever since.”  
  
Cas looked at Dean, almost tearing up. He admired how he’d always been there to take care of his brother, how he’d always been truly _good_.

“That was also the day I decided that Sammy and I would be better on our own, and a few days later, we left. We lived on the streets for a bit, begging for money. When no one gave us any, and they’d refused to let children work for them, we had no choice but to starve or survive. So-”  
  
“You started thieving,” Cas said, finishing his sentence.  
  
“Yeah,” Dean said with a nod.  
  
“And thus the fearsome Winchester bandits began.” Cas said, chuckling.  
  
As they neared the edge of the meadow, they began to hear the sound of rushing water in the distance. They followed the sound, passing through the trees outlining the meadow to find a small but stunning waterfall.  
  
“Wow,” Cas said, looking up at it, watching it flow into the very small lake below.  
  
Dean looked at the waterfall, looked at Cas admiring it, and got an idea.  
  
“Well, I don’t know about you,” he began, putting his satchel down near the edge of the water. “But after today, I need to wash up a bit.” He slowly began unlatching his black leather jacket, glancing at Cas occasionally.“Care to join me, Cas?”  
  
Cas’ heart began to race. Was this about to happen? They had only ever seen each other shirtless before. Was Dean going to fully undress or just down to his undergarments?  
  
“I could go for a swim,” Cas said, taking off his black cloth cloak.

Dean took off his loose fitting, forest green shirt, leaving his chest bare, and looked at Cas as he waited. Cas unbuttoned his light blue shirt, placing it on top of his cloak. Dean stripped his pants, standing before Cas now just in his tight tan undergarments, which stopped roughly three inches down his thighs. Dean, unsure of how Cas was feeling, remained in them, walking into the shallow water over to the waterfall. Cas took off his pants as well, standing only in his white undershorts. He made his way over to the waterfall which Dean was now standing under, skin soaked, glistening in the water. Cas let himself under the water as well, running his fingers through his hair, washing his body. He stopped a moment to admire Dean’s physicality. His body was fit, just the perfect amount of muscle mass to not be overbearing. The way the sunlight was hitting him highlighted the muscles in his torso. He was absolutely beautiful. Dean cleared the water from his eyes, and saw that Cas had stopped and was staring.    


They were both standing in the small patch of grass underneath the back of the waterfall at this point. Their eyes locked and Cas slowly started to walk towards Dean, his heart pounding. Dean stood for a second, then began to walk towards Cas. They met, Cas slowly put his hands on Dean’s chest, looking at it, then back up at his eyes. Dean pulled Cas in for a kiss, their wet bodies meeting, sliding against each other slightly. Dean gazed into Cas’ eyes, his slightly narrowed, his face conveying an emotion of joy and surprise. Cas didn’t know where this courage had come from, but he wasn’t going to stop now. He slowly slid his hands down Dean’s body, feeling every muscle down to his hips. He softly began untying the tan shorts, kissing Dean’s neck. Dean moaned, putting both hands on the back of Cas’ head, kissing his forehead. He looked down, watching Cas undress him. Finally he had the shorts untied, and he slightly pulled them down off of Dean’s body. Dean moved his feet out of the wet shorts, kicking them to the side. Cas took a step back, looking at Dean standing completely bare before him. He was absolutely stunning. Cas started to go back to Dean, but he was stopped.  
  
“No you don’t. My turn,” Dean said, looking at Cas, pulling himself into him. Cas felt every part of Dean’s body. Dean’s erection rubbed against Cas’, still inside his undershorts. Dean kissed Cas’ lips, and made his way down to Cas’ jaw, then his neck, his chest, his stomach, his stubble lightly scratching Cas’ body on his way down. Finally, his hips. Dean had his hands around Cas’ back. Now, on his knees in front of him, he kissed Cas’ bulge. Cas braced himself against the rocky wall behind him, moaning lightly. Dean slid his hands down, pulling Cas’ shorts off of his body. Dean continued, kissing and licking the area around Cas’ dick, driving Cas wild. He stood back up, sliding his body against Cas’, every body part touching, rubbing together.  
  
“Dean…” Cas said almost breathlessly, his eyes half closed looking up at Dean’s.  
  
“Do you want this, Cas?” Dean asked, kissing his neck.  
  
Cas looked at Dean with a fire in his eyes. “Yes, Dean. Yes.”  
  
Dean smirked, his eyes looking at every part of Cas’ body, seeing him standing there completely naked for the first time. He was absolutely infatuated. Cas had a knight’s body, and Dean was not going to complain. He loved the way the light and the water highlighted his body, making him look like a piece of art.  
  
“One second, then,” Dean said, kissing Cas’ hand, walking back out of the waterfall and over to his satchel. He grabbed a small glass bottle and began walking back. Cas craved Dean’s body- it was absolutely entrancing. Dean arrived back behind the waterfall, bottle in hand.  
  
“Dean, I want you, but, how are we going to-”  
  
“Way ahead of you, Cas,” he said, winking, showing Cas the bottle.  
  
“Dean…what is that?” he asked with cautious curiosity.  
  
“Something I swiped from the marketplace a few days ago. It’s supposed to help us. We can’t just…go for it.”  
  
“Dean, I’ve never…” Cas began to admit, thinking he shouldn’t have.  
  
Dean walked up to Cas, put his hand on the small of his back, pulled him in, pelvises touching. “That’s totally fine, Cas. I have a couple times. With women, but, y’know, I know what I’m doing. Promise. Are you sure you want to do this, Cas?” he asked, staring into his eyes.  
  
Cas thought for a moment, then decided, “Yes, Dean. I do.” putting his lips on Dean’s.  
  
“Thank God,” Dean said, staring at Cas with lust in his eyes.  
  
The two men slowly made their way to the soft grass below, Dean gently laying Cas on his back, Dean’s hands touching every part of Cas’ body. It was new, exciting, and intimate. Dean draped himself over Cas’ body. Cas put his legs back up around Dean’s waist, gazing into his eyes as he and Dean slowly became one.  
  
That was the first time they made love.


	8. Chapter 8

**One Year Later**  
  
  
A massive storm was shaking The Midlands. Heavy winds, rain, and lightening were attacking the land. This was nothing new, however, since it was the season for this sort of thing. A weak and weary Cas burst through the door of an inn on a path, far from any kingdom.  
  
“Help, please…” he said faintly, nearly falling to the floor. 

“Oh, my God, someone, help this man up!” the woman at the bar said, urging to her costumers inside.  
  
A few of the men came over to the drenched Cas, helping him over to a nearby table. The woman behind the bar made her way over to him with a glass of water and a few pieces of bread.  
  
“Are you hurt, honey?” the woman said, leaning her hands on the table.  
  
“No…I’ve been traveling for weeks, wandering in the woods, completely lost,” he replied before guzzling down his water.  
  
“First rule of travel in this forest, never go alone. My name is Jody,” she said smiling, extending her hand.  
  
“James,” he lied, shaking it.  
  
 “Well, James, you’re more than welcome to stay here as long as you need. We have maps of the area as well, so you can take one if you need to,” she said with a sincere smile.  
  
“Thank you,” he said, scarfing down the bread.  
  
There was a loud bang from upstairs in one of the rooms.  
  
“Dammit, if someone hurt themselves in here I’m gonna kill them,” she said, shaking her head impatiently. “Alex,” she said, beckoning the younger dark haired girl. “Could you go make sure no one’s killed themselves up there?”  
  
“Mhm,” she said shortly and emotionless, walking as though it were against her will up the stairs.  
  
Cas and Jody made eye contact after a few moments of awkward silence. “Kids,” she said chuckling and shaking her head.  
  
Suddenly, Alex let out a scream from upstairs. Jody and a few of the other people in the lobby ran to the stairs. Jody ran up the stairs, and after a few moments he heard he scream. “What the hell?!” When he was sure no one could see him, Cas went over behind the bar and found Jody’s stack of money she’d earned that day. He took it, and started to head for the door as fast as he could.  
  
One of the peasants saw him do this. “Thief!!!” he shouted. Cas froze up for a moment, turned around, and saw that everyone was staring at him.  
  
Jody ran down the stairs after hearing the call. “ _Hey!_ ” she howled. “Someone get him!!!”  
  
Cas smiled and ran out of the door as fast as he could. Dean jumped from the roof, carrying a few satchels of stolen money and jewelry he’d taken from the rooms upstairs. The two ran together, followed by the rest of their band of thieves that joined them- all of whom were all being chased by Jody and her angry costumers.  
  
“So, too risky, huh?” Cas yelled over to Dean, as they weaved in and out of the trees, being careful not to slip in the mud.  
  
“Alright, alright, you win. But can we save the gloating until after we’re done being hunted down?!” he said, rolling his eyes and smiling at his fellow thief, sprinting through the rain.  
  
“Dean, I’ll take my team. We’ll split off to the right.” Sam yelled from behind them. “We’ll take another route, if we all run together, they’ll find our hideout. It’s best if we split up!” he screamed as he leapt over a fallen tree.  
  
“Alright!” Dean yelled back. “Charlie, take your scouts, branch off to the left, Cas and I can outrun these guys no problem.”  
  
“Got it!” she said, motioning to the people behind her.  
  
“Good luck to you all! Stick to the shadows and stick together!” Dean ordered to the group behind him. With that, the group split into three, roughly five people following Charlie to the left, five following Sam to the right, and Dean and Cas running ahead together. They ran as fast as they could, the furious crowd now a good distance away. Dean jumped over a rock, Cas attempted to do so as well, but he misstepped and slipped backwards. Dean heard him fall, ran back quickly to help his man up.  
  
“Hey, you okay?!” Dean asked, picking Cas up, while the angered screams of the crowd were beginning to grow.  
  
“Yeah, I’m good,” Cas said back, standing firmly.  
  
“Follow me!” Dean said, grabbing Cas’ hand.

The two branched off of the path and into the trees, running to the right, hiding behind a large boulder. They sat there for a moment, hand in hand, as the crowd sprinted by on the path they were hidden from. After a moment or two of silence, they knew that they were safe at last. Dean pulled Cas in, placing his lips on his, smiling.  
  
“Who’d have thought that the most established knight could turn out to be a natural born thief?” he said, smirking.  
  
“Well, I did learn from the best,” Cas said, kissing Dean’s lips again, the rain still pouring.  
  
“Alright, let’s start heading back,” Dean suggested standing up, offering Cas his hand.  
  
After walking together for about an hour, they arrived back at the cave. It was now completely furnished. Sam and Bobby’s team worked tirelessly to make the cave feel more like a home. They made beds, chairs, tables, and even walls for privacy. Sam and Charlie had both already returned with their people. The celebrations were already in full swing at that point.  
  
“There they are!” Charlie yelled, hitting Sam on the shoulder. “Told you not to worry.”  
  
Charlie and Sam were standing with a new member of their group, Jess. Sam and Jess met a few months ago in the nearby marketplace while Sam was attempting to steal an apple from her stand. She caught him, and instead of yelling or screaming, let him go. He came back the next day with a basket full of apples he had picked himself as an apology. The two continued seeing each other, and she finally agreed to come live with Sam. She wouldn’t go out and commit any crimes, so she continued to sell produce in the marketplace.  
  
“I wasn’t worried!” Sam said, apparently intoxicated, arm around Jess.  
  
“You sure? I think I’d qualify you looking outside every five minutes as worrying,” Jess teased, high-fiving Charlie. 

“Whatever…” Sam said, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her deeply.  
  
Dean was thrilled to see Sam so happy, so in love. It was interesting, Dean thought, that Sam and Jess had already confessed their love to each other, and he and Cas still hadn’t. He knew he loved Cas, he knew he was definitely _in_ love with Cas, but he hadn’t told him yet. He was always nervous to take the first step with Cas. He’d always felt comfortable doing so in the past, but now he was unsure. He was so terrified of ruining what they had that he’d kept his deeper feelings to himself.  
  
“Aw, Sam. It truly warms my heart to know you were worried about us,” Cas said teasingly.  
  
“Shut up, Cas,” Sam replied as he pulled him in for a hug, playfully rubbing his fist on Cas’ head. 

“Alright, alright, Sammy, let’em go,” Dean said, taking Cas into his arms. “We’ll be right back.”  
  
“Mkay, have fun,” Sam slurred, raising his eyebrows up and down  
  
“…Shut your face,” Dean said, pointing at Sam and turning bright red as Cas pulled him away.  
  
Cas and Dean walked through the partying bandits, across the stone floor to their own room at the back of the cave. They entered the door, closed it behind them, and dropped their spoils on the ground. Instantly, they came together in a passionate kiss, Dean slamming Cas’ back against the door. They’d just successfully robbed an inn full of people completely blind and they were both still on an adrenaline high. Cas loved the way Dean got after a successful heist. He picked Cas up, and moved them both over to the bed, falling on top of him. Lips still touching, he put his hands on Cas’ button down, struggled with the buttons for a moment, and in a burst of passion, ripped Cas’ shirt open, buttons flying everywhere. Cas quickly took Dean’s shirt off his body, whipping it across the room. Dean hastily leaned over to grab the bottle on the table next to the bed. Cas pecked at Dean’s chest, then his stomach as he began to undo Dean’s brown leather pants. 

Outside of the room, the festivities continued on. The now married Bobby and Ellen danced together, Charlie and one of the new bandits, Kevin, were sitting on top of one of the tables, talking and laughing together. Sam and Jess sat on a bench near the wall, Jess on Sam’s lap, the two gently kissing each other. There were a few new bandits in addition to Kevin. There was Garth, whom they found wandering alone in the woods after losing his wife. Benny, who Cas could see constantly making eyes at Dean, though Dean was completely oblivious to the fact, and there was Bella, the rebellious woman who left her life of luxury with her rich family in The Golden Kingdom to try to make it on her own. Their band of thieves was growing, their reputation getting larger and larger.

After they were done, Cas and Dean laid in bed together for a few minutes, still completely naked. It was one of Cas’ favorite things to do with Dean, and now that they had their own room, they could lounge around without clothes on whenever they wanted to.  
  
“I swear, Cas, that was the best it’s ever been,” he said breathlessly.

“You say that every time, Dean.”  
  
“Well, it keeps getting better and better.”

“You’re not wrong there,” he said with a giggle. 

“Wanna get out there?” Dean asked  
  
“I have a question first, it’s been something I guess I keep forgetting to ask you,” he responded, sitting up.  
  
“What’s up?” Dean said, joining Cas.

“Remember the day we first met?”  
  
“I’ll never forget it,” Dean said quickly.

Cas smiled. “Well, you stole my necklace from me.” Dean nodded, looking away. “I was wondering how much that sold for?”  
  
“I didn’t sell it.”  
  
“Wait, what? Did you lose it?”  
  
“No, Cas. It’s been with me ever since I took it.”  
  
“Hold on, do you still have it?”  
  
“Yeah,” Dean said, getting out of bed, putting on his pants, walking over to his satchel. As Dean did so, Cas put his undershorts on. After a moment of rifling through the satchel, Dean pulled the necklace out. “I’d never get rid of it.”  
  
“Why not?” Cas said with genuine confusion, pulling his pants up, sitting back down on the bed.

 “Because, it’s lucky. It’s always brought good things my way. It’s the only thing that I ever stole that I kept,” Dean said, rejoining Cas on the bed. “It brought me you, Cas. And you have brought me so many things. Things you can’t steal, things you can’t touch. You’ve brought me happiness, sometimes anger, intimacy, understanding, a shoulder to cry on…and…love…” Dean said, gazing into Cas’ eyes, the light from the torch dancing in the reflection.  
  
Cas couldn’t hide the smile on his face if he tried. “What’re you saying, Dean?”  
  
Dean took a moment, took Cas’ hand in his, put his other hand on the back of Cas’ neck, and stared into his beautiful eyes.  
  
“I’m saying that…” he paused a moment, pulse racing, genuinely nervous. He’d stolen from countless people, narrowly escaped death multiple times, yet in this the moment, Dean Winchester was afraid. He was afraid of pushing Cas away, being too emotional. But in the way Cas was looking at Dean, his eyes full of understanding, maybe even love, he found the courage to continue. “I’m saying…that I love you, Cas. I am so deeply and madly in love with you. You’ve been on my mind every single day since I met you.”  
  
Cas couldn’t hide his tears any longer, his cheeks hurt from how wide he had been smiling, his hand squeezing Dean’s. “I love you too, Dean. I have for a long time,” he confessed, Dean pulling Cas’ head in, trapping him in a deep kiss. They both sat there, foreheads touching, smiling, completely in love.

 After a few minutes of passionate kissing, the two finished re-dressing, and entered the party hand in hand.

* * *

 

 The next morning, Cas woke upto find Dean was already out of the room. He quickly got dressed, and walked out of the room. He saw Dean sitting at one of the tables, looking over a new heist plan, with Benny sitting in front of him. Cas hated Benny. The two truly had nothing in common. He was the biggest thorn in Cas’ side. As Cas walked over, Dean looked up at him.  
  
“Well, good morning, beautiful,” he said to Cas with a smile. He leaned in and gave him a nice kiss, right in front of Benny. Cas smiled devilishly.  
  
“Hello there. What’s this?”  
  
“Oh, Benny was showing me a plan for a possible new heist he was thinking of.”  
  
“Hmm. Let me see it?” Cas looked over the plans. They were reckless and unrealistic. Cas looked at Dean with an eyebrow raised. “Interesting.”  
  
“What’s that mean?” Benny asked, clearly not willing to play nice.  
  
“I just said it’s interesting is all,” Cas said sitting next to Dean, clasping their fingers together with a smile.  
  
“No, no, you meant something by it. What, you don’t think my plans are good? You think I don’t know what I’m doing?” Benny said standing up, anger swelling in his voice.  
  
“I think you’re very imaginative, definitely, but we’re looking for actual realistic plans here and going on a heist in the middle of The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown isn’t what I would call ‘do-able’,” Cas said bluntly.  
  
“Oh, please. It wouldn’t matter if I suggested we rob a small house in the middle of nowhere. You’d still find something wrong with my plan!”  
  
“Really Benny? I mean, would I be _surprised_ if I did?” Cas said as he shrugged, implying he wouldn’t be, enticing Benny’s rage.

 Benny slammed his fist on the table. “You got a problem with me, then c’mon, let’s solve it!” he yelled grabbing Cas by his shirt.  
  
“Hey!” Dean snapped. “You take your hands off of him, now.” Dean ripped Benny’s hands away from Cas, throwing him back. Dean walked over to Benny, who was now on the floor, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and punching him across the face once. “You ever put your hands on that man again, God help me, I will throw you off the side of this fucking cliff,” he said viciously, inches away from Benny’s face. “You understand me?” He shook Benny, throwing him back to the floor. Cas stood there in shock, he’d never seen Dean get that defensive before. He’d truly do anything to protect Cas. He took Cas by the hand, leading him to the exit of the cave. “You ok?” he asked sincerely.  
  
“Yes, Dean. I’m good.” Dean had asked Cas that so many times since they met. Dean was always checking in, making sure his love was happy. Making sure he wasn’t failing him. “Are _you_ ok?”  
  
“Eh, yeah, I’ll be fine. How about we go out and go find us some lunch, eh? Get some air?”  
  
“Okay!”  
  
The two went out into the forest to hunt for some food. A few hours had passed and they found a boar and followed it. Cas shot it with the crossbow, securing their meal for the day. He’d become so talented, so incredible at everything Dean taught him, and so fearless. He had completely become a bandit, and every skill he gained from the knighthood merely just added to his abilities.  
  
“Y’know, Cas, sometimes I think you may be a better thief than I am,” Dean admitted, with the body of the boar over his shoulders.  
  
“Oh, please, I doubt it.”  
  
They passed a sign post, nailed to it were numerous wanted signs, missing person reports, and things of the like. Dean stopped as he looked at it, his eyes were wide and a smile exploded on his face.  
  
“Dean, what? What is it?” he asked his silent love. Cas took one look at the sign post and saw it. “Oh my God.” His heart dropped.  
  
“Your first wanted poster!” Dean said, giddy with pride. “I mean, they got your lips wrong, and your hair isn’t _that_ short, but c’mon that’s definitely you!!!”  
  
Cas couldn’t find it in him to smile, or even feel pride about this. But, Dean ripped it off the post, put it in his satchel, and had enough pride for the both of them.  
  
About 20 minutes later they arrived at the cave, a nervous Charlie was waiting for them.  
  
“Dean, Cas, come here, now.” she said, sounding flustered.  
  
“Charlie, calm down, kiddo, what’s the problem?” Dean said, placing the boar on the table. 

 “Benny’s gone,” she said.  
  
“So? He’ll be back. He’s probably going to find food or something,” Cas said, sitting at the table, completely unfazed.  
  
“No, no it’s different. He packed up his things, his room is empty, and he left and he looked pissed.”  
  
“So Benny’s gone. I don’t know what the big deal is, Charlie,” Dean said, agreeing with Cas.

 “I don’t know. Something doesn’t sit right with me. Sam feels the same way.”  
  
“I do,” Sam said walking up from behind her. “Something feels wrong, Dean. I don’t know what it is, but something feels off about it. And you know my feelings are typically right.”  
  
“I don’t understand- people have left before and we’ve been just fine,” Dean said.   
  
Cas was almost happy to see how much this wasn’t bothering Dean. Benny was gone, and Cas was reveling in his absence.

 There was a commotion outside, causing a few of the bandits to go over to the entrance of the cave. Dean, Sam, Charlie, and Cas all looked to see what was happening. Suddenly Ash ran in in a panic, howling, “Grab your weapons!!! Get them now! They found u-” he was cut off by an arrow flying in his back with such force that it stuck out the other side of body. Ash’s body fell to the floor. Suddenly, there was chaos. Cas looked at Dean with fear in his eyes. There was nowhere to run. They were trapped in the cave. They had no choice but to fight. They flipped the tables on their sides as barricades, weapons drawn, waiting for the rush. Suddenly, there was a burst of black smoke- they were there. The Knights of The Twisted Crown. The bandits were heavily outnumbered. A female knight walked forward slowly, hands up to show she wasn’t going to attack. She removed her helmet, and her blood red hair fell down. She looked around with anunimpressed grimace on her face.  
  
“My name is Abaddon. We’re here for the knight, Castiel. If you hand him over, we will leave you unharmed,” she lied.  
  
Dean wasn’t believing her for a second. “Not gonna happen, bitch,” he yelled, fury in his voice as he pulled the trigger of his crossbow, the arrow smashing through her skull. This incited a surge of activity. The knights rushed into the cave, swords drawn, screaming. The bandits fought back bravely. There was a frenzy of violence, knights were falling one by one, but not nearly as rapidly as the bandits were. Cas and Dean worked together, shooting anyone who dared to run towards them. Cas sat there for a moment, watching this all happen, knowing that if he didn’t put a stop to it, everyone of them would die. Bobby was fighting off a knight that was going after Ellen. As he brought the knight to the ground, he was double teamed from behind and stabbed. Ellen cried out, as Garth ran over to her. The two of them took their swords and killed the knight that stabbed Bobby. Every bandit was fighting for their lives, and one by one, they were falling at the hands of the knights. Cas looked at Dean, the man he was ordered to hate, yet the man he couldn’t help but love. Tears began to form in his eyes as he accepted what he had to do.  
  
“I love you, Dean. I will always love you. Never forget that,” he yelled to him, tears streaming.  
  
“What?! Why are you saying this now, Cas? C’mon, we gotta fight! It’s gonna be okay! I’m going to protect you, remember that?! I will _always_ protect you!”  
  
“I need you to say it back, Dean. I need to hear you say it,” he begged.  
  
Dean looked away from the battle, shifting his glance to look Cas directly in the eye, concern growing on his face. “Of course I love you, Cas.”  
  
Cas pulled Dean in, kissing him, tears falling like the heavy rain that poured outside.  
  
Dean pulled back, tears forming. “Why did that feel like a goodbye, Cas?” he asked looking at Cas with upset confusion in his eyes.  
  
Cas put his hand on Dean’s face. One last look. He looked up and down, taking in everything that Cas loved about him. He looked at his lips, the lips he’d kissed so many times. He looked at Dean’s arms, the arms he slept in every night for a year, the arms that held him when he woke up sobbing from a nightmare, the arms that made him feel safe and warm. He looked at Dean’s beautiful emerald green eyes, the first thing he ever saw on Dean, the first pair of eyes to ever look at him with such wild devotion, such adoration. The eyes he found himself getting lost in day after day. The eyes he knew he’d never see again. _God, those eyes…_   
  
Cas stood up, slipping his hands out of Dean’s, throwing them up in the air with one solid yell. “Enough! Enough killing! You win! I will go peacefully,” he said beginning to walk out from behind the makeshift barricade. The fighting stopped. Dead bodies lay on the floor, blood soaked the stone.  
  
“Cas, what the hell are you doing?! Get back here, _now!_ ” Dean commanded viciously, standing up sharply.  
  
“I’m sorry, Dean,” Cas said, tears falling from his face uncontrollably, walking towards what he knew was his certain doom.  
  
“No. No!” Dean howled, kicking the table away from him. He ran up to Cas, pushed him to the floor, and ran in front of him to the head knight that was waiting to take someone back. “Take me instead. I get it, you want Cas because you think The Golden Kingdom will give you something for him. But they want me more. They’ve always wanted me more. If you take that man, I will not rest until I find him. I will not stop fighting. I will not stop killing. But if you take me, I won’t fight. Take me. Please,” Dean pleaded, throat sore from fighting back tears.  
  
Cas sat there, stunned, speechless. He wanted to stop Dean, he wanted to fix this, but he couldn’t. He could hardly breathe. He knew that it was too late to do anything.  
  
The head night stood a moment, motionless, his face blocked by his helmet. “Fine,” he said simply. Cas’ heart sank. The knights grabbed Dean forcefully. Dean looked back at Cas, who had dropped to his knees, his hand reaching forward to him, Dean reached back with fear in his eyes.  
  
“ _Dean!_ ” he bawled heartbrokenly.  
  
Then, just like that, the knights and Dean disappeared in a burst of black smoke. When it cleared, it was done. They were gone. Dean was gone.  
  
Cas fell to the floor sobbing. Inconsolable.

 


	9. Chapter 9

The cave was in ruin. Most of the furniture was broken and the floor was stained with blood. A few of the remaining bandits cleared away the bodies of the knights, tossing them over the cliff. The bodies of more than half of the thieves lay in a row. The now small, broken group stood before them, looking to Sam for comfort, with Jess by his side. Charlie and Ellen stood together, hugging each other. Kevin sat against the wall, still in shock, unable to really talk to anyone. Claire was sitting outside. She didn’t like to be around death, and her heart had been broken enough to where it didn’t seem to outwardly effect her.  


“Today we lost many of our people…” Sam began his painful speech. “Ash, Garth, Adam, Bella, Eliot, Gwen, Bobby…and Dean. They all sacrificed their lives to keep their family alive. They died to save us. They died in honor. Their sacrifices won’t be forgotten.” Sam broke, he couldn’t continue. Jess held him in her arms as he sobbed.  
  
Cas was absent from the speech. He couldn’t get himself to leave his room. He laid in his and Dean’s bed in the dark, facing the wall, holding the shirt Dean was wearing the night before; it still vaguely smelled like him. He was completely numb, his eyes hurt from the hours of crying he’d endured. He kept replaying the scene in his head. He kept seeing the face Dean made as he disappeared with the knights, over and over again. Dean looked heartbroken, terrified. The love of Cas’ life was just ripped away from him, and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. He knew it never would have happened if it weren’t for him. There was a knock at the door. He remained silent, he couldn’t answer even if he wanted to.  
  
“Cas?” Charlie said softly from the other side of the door, knocking again. “I’m coming in.”  
  
She opened the door and saw Cas’ back towards her. She walked over to the wall, lit a torch, and walked to the bed sitting beside him.  
  
“I know you’re upset, Cas. I am too,” she began, already fighting back tears. “We just lost so many of our friends. I know, more than anyone else here, how it feels to lose the person you love without them dying. I know how it makes you feel. You’re frustrated, maybe even a little mad. You’re asking yourself why he would take your place. But I know why, Cas, and I think you do too. Dean fell in love with you the second he saw you. Maybe he didn’t always know it, but he did. He’s been protecting you ever since. I’m not going to let you shut yourself in, Cas. Sam and I are still here. We’re _all_ here for each other. You aren’t alone, Cas. I know you feel like you are, but you are _not_ alone.”  
  
Cas turned over, placed his head in her lap, and broke down again. Sobbing and shaking.  
  
“You aren’t alone,” she repeated, hugging him, beginning to cry. 

* * *

 

Dean Winchester was in shackles, forcibly being yanked into the tall dark castle by the head knight.  
  
“What’re you gonna do with me?” he asked with a fake calm.  
  
“That’s not up to me, pretty boy,” the man chuckled back, still dragging Dean along.  
  
“Y’know, I never considered shackles to be something I’d be into, but after this, I’m thinking I might have to give it a try.”  
  
“Shut up, scum,” the knight said, punching him across the face.  
  
Dean would never let it show, but he was terrified. He was heartbroken knowing he’d never see Cas again, but he knew that he had done what he felt was right. He refused to fail Cas. It was Dean’s job to protect him, and that’s exactly what he did. The two entered the throne room and the knight threw Dean to the floor in front of King Crowley and Lady Rowena. The twisted crown rested firmly on Crowley’s head, the scent of fire in the air.  
  
“Where’s the bloody knight?” Crowley asked furiously.  
  
“This is the best we could do. They fought back,” the knight said, taking off his helmet.  
  
“Well done, Sir Lucifer,” Lady Rowena said with a wicked smile on her face. “Dean will bring a great deal more fortune to us than the knight would, anyway.”  
  
“So, this is the great Dean Winchester? I must say, I expected more,” Crowley said, mocking him.  
  
“How did you find us you son of a bitch?” Dean yelled from the floor.  
  
“Oh, you can thank you friend Benny for that one. He came in here screaming about how he knew where Castiel was. So, naturally we jumped at the opportunity.”  
  
“Where’s that coward now?!”  
  
“He’s useless to us. He told us where to find you, how many of you there were, and then we killed him.”  
  
“You twisted bastard,” Dean yelled.  
  
“I know, thanks. Lucifer, pick him up.”  
  
Lucifer grabbed Dean by his hair and brought him to his knees. Dean cried out in pain.

Crowley stood from his throne, slowly walking towards Dean who was being held in place by Lucifer. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Meg staring at him with shock and sorrow in her eyes.  
  
“I’m not a bad man, Dean. I am righteous and occasionally forgiving. You have not stolen from my people. I gather that’s because you’re intimidated by us. Hey, who can blame you. After all, it was my knights that killed your girlfriend in cold blood, right? Linda?”  
  
“Lisa, you son of a bitch!” he screamed with rage in his voice, struggling to get free from Lucifer to no avail.  
  
“Whatever. I only bring this up because I am willing to cut you a deal, Dean. I will let you live. I won’t torture you, I won’t harm a single hair on your head… _if_ you join my knights. You are strong, there’s no denying that. With you in our ranks, we could take down The Golden Kingdom once and for all. However, if you refuse, we will sell you to them, and they will surely put you to death. While you wait to be taken, your days will be filled with nothing but misery. You might even run to their knights with open arms, begging for the end.” The twisted king stopped, looking expressionless at Dean, inches from his face. “So. What’ll it be, Dean? Us, or death?”  
  
Dean stared disgusted at Crowley, pure contempt in his eyes. With one strong motion, he spat in his face.  
  
Lady Rowena smirked.  
  
“You putrid, vile, piece of filth!” Crowley yelled, wiping his eyes with his fur covered sleeve, furious. “Take him to the dungeon! He’s made his choice. Make it hurt.”  
  
“Gladly.” Lucifer said cackling as he grabbed Dean and began dragging him by his feet. He dragged him out of the throne room, passed the room that the other prisoners were being held in, down the spiral stone staircase, smacking his head on every step of the way down, down to the torture chambers.   


* * *

The next day, about mid-day, Cas finally left bed. He walked out of the room, half dressed, with a blanket covering his upper body. He dragged his feet over and sat down at one of the tables next to Sam.  
  
“Hey, Cas. How’re you doing?”  
  
Cas looked up at Sam, face devoid of emotion, not saying anything.  
  
“Me too,” Sam said, looking away.  
  
“He’s gone, Sam. He’s just gone.”  
  
“I know. I don’t…I can’t even begin to think about how we get him back.”  
  
“We have to,” Cas said firmly, still staring at the table.  
  
“Well, look who’s out of his room.” Ellen said, walking to the table with Charlie. “Alright. How’re we getting him back?” she asked, fully expecting an answer.  
  
“I don’t know, Ellen,” Cas said, shaking his head. “The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown is…a lot more complex than anywhere else we have ever stolen from. Their laws may be flimsy but their knights are ruthless and skilled. I don’t even know where to start with this one…I’m completely lost.”  
  
“Say hello to your map then, Castiel,” a woman’s voice said from behind them all. The four of them jumped up, ready to attack, when they saw that it was Meg standing there, smirking at them.  
  
“Meg! What happened? How did they find us?” Sam asked hurriedly, walking up to her.  
  
“You know that new guy, Benny? He really doesn’t like Castiel. Ratted you guys all out the first chance he got.”  
  
“That traitor! So it’s his fault that our people were killed and Dean was taken,” Cas said, his voice filled with anger. “Meg, have you seen Dean? Is he okay?”  
  
Meg just looked at Cas, remaining calm. “No, he’s not. Sorry.” Cas’ body grew weak. She went on. “They’re threatening to sell him to The Golden Kingdom. He’s probably being tortured as we speak.”  
  
Cas fell down into the seat, his head on the table, tears beginning to form.  
  
“Castiel, stand up,” she ordered, rolling her eyes.  
  
He ignored her.  
  
“Stand up, Cas. Now!” she said impatiently.  
  
“Lay off him, Meg, he’s having a tough time,” Charlie said, defending him.  
  
“So is Ellen and her guy’s actually dead. But she’s ready to do something about this. Cas I’m giving you three seconds to get your ass out of that seat!” she yelled, visibly getting more pissed off. Cas remained seated, head still on the table, acting as though she wasn’t there. “One. Two.”  
  
“Meg!” Sam said trying to stop her, disgusted with her lack of empathy.  
  
“Three.” She sighed, grabbing Cas by the shoulders, throwing him to the ground behind him, Cas lay there on his back, shocked. Charlie and Sam ran to his defense, Meg stood there, glaring angrily at Cas. “I’m not going to coddle you, Castiel. Remember, at the end of the day, I’m a knight too!” she began to scream. “If you want to sit here and have a pity party for yourself, fine. But while you do that, Dean is sitting in a dungeon being tortured in worse ways than you could possibly imagine. He’s there because he was doing what he felt was his job, protecting you, and how are you repaying him for this? Sitting here moping around, not taking action?! _Enough_ , Castiel. It’s time to wake up, and go do your _fucking_ job. Go save your person. Go fight for him like you know he’d fight for you. Because if you don’t, he _will_ be killed, and then you’ll really lose him for good.”  
  
Silence. Everyone stared at Meg completely stunned. Cas looked up at her, still in a state of semi-shock.  
  
“You’re right,” he said, beginning to stand up. “I’m done moping. I’m done standing around feeling sorry for myself. Dean wouldn’t sleep a wink if I had been taken, and no one could stand in his way. I just don’t know where to start, Meg. We have to be realistic. If we go in, swords flying, we will all be killed. How do we do this? How do we save Dean?”

She looked at him with a smirk, “ _There’s_ Castiel. Like I said, I’m a knight, too.” She reached into her bag and pulled out two pairs of shackles, holding one in front of Cas.  
  
Cas looked her dead in the eyes, “You mean…”  
  
She raised an eyebrow and nodded, “Let’s go get your man back.”

  



	10. Chapter 10

“So, what’s the plan, Meg?” Sam asked as she handed Cas a pair of shackles.  
  
“Cas and one other person are my prisoners. I found the two of you sneaking around outside of the castle and subdued you myself. I’ll walk you in and you’ll no doubt be taken to see King Crowley. When the moment is right, I’m going to free you from the shackles, and we’re going to save Dean,” she explained, sounding confident.  
  
“Meg, you realize it’s going to be three of us against _many_ knights, correct?” Cas asked, thinking realistically.   
  
“Oh, you know what? I hadn’t thought of that. Hand me the shackles back. Sorry for your loss,” she said quickly and sarcastically. “Of course I realize that, Castiel! I’m fully prepared here.”   
  
“Then how are we supposed to fight back?” he asked, backing down.  
  
“We _don’t._ We’re going to use this,” she said, pulling out a large bottle full of a black shimmering liquid from her satchel.  
  
“…And what is… _this_?” Sam asked her, taking the bottle.  
  
“Careful with that,” she warned. “You two really don’t know anything, do you?” she said, shaking her head. “How do you think the knights get around so fast? How do you think we’ve been disappearing so suddenly? Think about it,” she said.  
  
Cas and Sam both confusedly looked at each other, then to her.  
“Who else disappears into black smoke?” she said, irritatedly putting her hands over her eyes.  
  
“The witches!” Cas said, eyes widening in realization.   
  
“Yes, very good Castiel,” she said condescendingly.   
  
“So you mean that The Knights of The Twisted Crown have some sort of alliance with the witches?!” Sam asked.  
  
“Not exactly,” she said taking the bottle back from Sam. “They still don’t _like_ the witches, but we’ve been getting supplies of their dark magic, from potions to spells, from an anonymous source. The knights aren’t beneath using the witchcraft to their advantage.”   
  
“So, we get in there, then what?” Cas asked, getting them back on topic.  
  
“I’ll use this freezing spell I’ve been taught. I’ll unlock your bonds, and then we break your man out, throw the other bottle of this stuff on the ground, and disappear. Simple. Then we run. Far away,” she said with a smile.  
  
“Then let’s go,” Cas said confidently.  
  
“Hold on, we still have to decide who else is coming with you,” Charlie said.  
  
“I’m going,” Sam said. “Dean has always taken care of me, ever since I was a kid. It’s my turn to repay the favor.”   
  
“Well, I can’t really argue with that,” Charlie said, knowing that he wasn’t going to change his mind.  
  
“I can!” Jess said, taking Sam off to the side.  
  
“Alright, then let’s shackle on up and get out of here,” Meg said, eager to go.   
  
“Bring him home, Cas. I know you can do this,” Charlie said, hugging him.  
  
“I’m going to try, Charlie. I really am.”  
  
“You can’t seriously be thinking about doing this!” the teary eyed Jess said.  
  
“I have to, Jess. I have to. I’m going to be okay, though. I’ll be back sooner than you think,” he said, trying to reassure himself as well as her.  
  
“This is too dangerous, Sam, and you know it. How can you be so sure?” she asked, beginning to cry. Sam pulled her in and held her in his arms. “I don’t want to lose you, Sam. I love you.”  
  
“I love you too, Jess. You won’t lose me. I promise.” He pulled away, hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes. “I will come back. I promise,” Sam said, tears forming in his eyes.   
  
The two stood there, embracing for as long as they could. Finally, Cas came and tapped Sam on the shoulder.   
  
“It’s time to go, Sam,” he said.   
  
Sam wiped her tears from Jess’ eyes and gave her one final kiss.   
  
“Take care of her while I’m gone, Ellen,” he said.  
  
Ellen smiled and nodded, giving him a hug.  
  
“Alright, enough goodbyes. Let’s go,” Meg said impatiently.   
  
Sam and Cas shackled up as they took one last look at the cave. Cas made eye contact with Claire, who was sitting with Kevin, from across the way. She actually looked worried for once. She gave Cas a wave and he nodded back. Meg threw one of the bottles on the ground, and they vanished from the cave. Suddenly they were in front of the large, gothic-looking black gates of The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown. It was almost constantly dark and cloudy here yet no one quite knew why. Two black armored knights stood at the entrance. Cas was nearly petrified, but he knew that this was what he had to do. He had to save Dean. He had to.  
  
“Who goes there?” one of them commanded.  
  
“Knight Meg Masters. I found these two ingrates skulking about near one of the walls of the kingdom. I’m here to take them to the dungeon. The king will most definitely want to see them,” she said.   
  
“Enter,” the knight said, opening the large metal gate.   
  
They walked through the gate, both being dragged in chains by Meg. The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown was certainly different than The Golden Kingdom, Cas noticed. There were many homeless on the street, many dead bodies just laid out to rot. The scent of fire was in the air. The gutters were filthy, the homes and shops completely in ruin. Who would want to live here? Meg led the two shackled men through the filthy streets and up the stone steps to the grand courtyard in front of the castle. The castle was magnificent; hauntingly beautiful. It was a completely different place from the rest of the kingdom. It stood strong and tall, built of dark black stone, windows made from darkened glass. The sharp spires on top made the castle itself look malevolent. They entered through the large, dark wooden gates and into the castle. As they walked through the grand hall, the door that led to the dungeon cells was left completely open. As Cas walked by, he glanced into the room. His eyes met by a bloody and broken Dean. Cas stopped moving completely, tears welling up at the sight. He looked completely destroyed. Dean’s eyes opened, he looked up to see the shackled Cas.  
  
“Cas?!” he screamed, running to the front of his cell. He looked to Cas’ side “Sam?!” he howled again. Dean’s face filled with shock and fear. “No, no!” he yelled as he viciously began shaking the bars in front of his cell, trying desperately to break free and save his brother and his love.  
  
“Keep moving, scum,” Meg said pulling the chains, jolting Cas forward. Cas softly looked back at her, completely heartbroken. Meg just gave him a solid look, reminding him of their plan. It was her way of reassuring him that, even though it was painful right now, it was going to be okay. Cas continued walking along with Sam. They walked forward a bit further, then were stopped at two large black doors, guarded by two esteemed knights.  
  
“How did you capture them?!” the blonde knight said completely bewildered.   
  
“These two geniuses didn’t see me. I used some of the black magic we’ve got and knocked them out. Looks like I did your job for you, Lucifer. All by myself,” she said with a smile.   
  
“Whatever. It got done, didn’t it?” he said rolling his eyes. “Alright, go for it,” he said, opening the door.   
  
They walked through the door, and entered the depressed looking throne room. It was gothic in design. Upon the black stone throne sat the short King Crowley, the Twisted Crown sat upon his head. Seated next to him on a much less grandiose chair was Lady Rowena.  
  
“Your Majesties, I have brought to you Sir Castiel and Sam Winchester,” she said in a bow.  
  
“Meg. Well done. You’ve provided your kingdom with great honor today.” Crowley said, completely surprised.   
  
“Truly my pleasure, my lord,” she said back.  
  
“So, Sir Castiel, we meet at last,” he said. “We have been looking for you a very long time, you know. Who knew you’d turn out to be this big of a pain in the neck?”   
  
Cas didn’t speak. He didn’t even look at the repugnant king.  
  
“Oh, right. I heard you were the strong, silent type. Want to know a secret? Your kingdom still thinks you’re dead. Do you know how incredibly rich you are about to make me?” Crowley’s gaze shifted to Sam. “And, Sam, was it? Truth be told, I didn’t even know there _was_ another Winchester. How must that feel, constantly living in the shadow of your brother?”   
  
Sam glared back at him, furious.  
  
“You’ll be glad to know, we’ve been treating him as a sort of celebrity here. He’s gotten to experience each of our best torture devices,” the king said, grinning.   
  
Sam stood there shaking, seething with rage.   
  
Lady Rowena just sat there silently smiling.   
  
“Not much for conversation, are you two?” Crowley mocked.   
Silence.  
  
“Well, since you clearly have nothing to say for yourselves, Meg- take these two to the dungeon and-”  
  
Suddenly, Meg sprung into action, shouting the freezing spell, leaving everyone in the room except for Sam and Cas completely motionless. It was happening. They were going to save Dean. Cas’ pulse started racing. She jumped behind Cas, unlocking his shackles, then quickly to Sam, freeing him. “Sorry, your ‘highness’ but we’ve got other plans,” she said defiantly.   
  
Suddenly, Lady Rowena screamed something incoherently. Meg, Sam, and Cas stood there completely frozen. Lady Rowena began laughing.   
  
“My, my! What a clever little cat you are,” she said patronizingly, still seated. “Except it seems you don’t quite know what you’re doing, dear. My magic spell is completely useless against me,” she stood up with a devilish smile.   
  
“M-mother?!” Crowley managed to spit out.   
  
“That’s right, Fergus. The coven of witches that’s infested this land? It’s mine. Now shut up,” she commanded ferociously, standing from her chair. “Do you know how difficult it was to put on this timid, dainty old woman act?!” she let her braided hair loose, and in a cloud of black smoke, her dress changed from the regal puffy black and purple gown, to a sleek and tight fitting black dress. “Much better,” she sighed.   
  
Cas stood there, terrified for his life. What was happening? Lady Rowena was a witch? They all still stood there motionless. Rowena began to walk up to Crowley.  
  
“Do you know what it’s like to see your own son wear this crown and know he has absolutely no business being under it?!” she screamed viciously, shaking with hatred. “You have made a mockery of our kingdom. We used to battle- we used to go to war. What have you been doing other than sitting around on your bloody fat ass and waiting?! You are no king. You are a coward and a disgrace. You do not deserve to be wearing this crown!” she screamed, ripping the spiked crown from off the top of Crowley’s head. He stared at her, eyes filled with confused hatred. With one swift motion, Rowena stuck the spikes of the crown right through Crowley’s chest, looking into his eyes as he realized what was happening. “Good riddance,” she said with loathing in her eyes as blood spewed from his mouth. He fell lifeless to the floor. She tore the crown out of his body, and slowly placed it on her head. She stood up, and turned to face Meg, the blood dripping from the crown falling to her face. “As for you, dear” she began, walking towards Meg. “There’s no place for traitors in my kingdom,” she said, taking Meg’s sword from her body, quickly stabbing her through the stomach.   
  
Cas’ eyes widened, his heart nearly beating out of his chest as he watched Meg’s body crumble to the marbled ground. He panicked, his breathing quickening. He knew he was about to die. He had failed Dean. He had failed.   
  
The bloodthirsty Rowena walked up to the petrified Sam. “You. I could use you. Your brother has been less than reasonable since he got here. You see, we need him to lead our knights in our assault on The Golden Kingdom. He’s special. Maybe if he sees you in danger, he’ll reconsider.” she threatened.   
  
“D-Dean..will never…help you…you poor, ugly…deluded…bitch,” Sam said maliciously, struggling to move his mouth.   
  
She stood there, her face full of rage. One eyebrow perked up. “Never, you say? Oh, well then,” she shrugged, then quickly plunged the sword through Sam’s body. Sam cried out in pain. “I was going to let you live, Samuel,” she admitted, sharply pulling the sword from his body.  
  
Cas’ heart sank, he screamed out, tears uncontrollably falling his face. Rowena stood, smirking, staring at Sam’s body as the blood poured out of him onto the floor. Suddenly her eyes jutted up to meet Cas’. His blood ran cold. He knew he was about to be killed.   
  
“And finally, Sir Castiel,” she said walking up to him slowly, sword still drawn. “I’ve been looking for you for a very long time, dear. You’ve turned out to be a grave deal more trouble than you’re worth. You may not know this, but we’ve met before. A few times, actually. Where, though?” she said, covering her mouth, faking confusion. “Oh, right, I remember.” Her face turned to anger, “A group of my witches nearly killed you once, but your despicable knights killed almost every last one of them!” she said, voice filled with rage. “Then, weeks later, I nearly had you.”   
  
Cas’ eyes widened.   
  
“Yes, that’s right, I look different without the mask on, don’t I? I have been trying to find you ever since you murdered my people. You and your disgusting ‘knights of the highest order’ think you’re so high and mighty. Please, you’re no better than my knights or my witches.”  
  
Cas’ eyes closed out of fear, tears still streaming down his face.  
  
“Oh don’t worry, dear. I’m not going to kill you,” she said with a grin. “I’m just going to sell you back to your old friends…and _they’ll_ kill you,” she said, laughing in his face. “Oh, chin up, Sir Castiel,” she said touching his chin with a fake pout.   
  
“M…m…” Cas’ mouth trembled as if he was trying to say something.   
  
“What was that dear? I couldn’t quite make that out,” she mocked.  
  
“My…name…”  
  
“What about your wretched name, Castiel?”  
  
“That’s….not….my name…” he struggled.  
  
She laughed back at him. “Oh? What is it, then?”  
  
“Cas….” he said with hurt in his voice.   
  
Rowena cackled, she cried out, “Lucifer, get in here, love.”  
  
Lucifer burst in the door, looked around at the three dead bodies on the floor. “What happened to King Crowley?!” he demanded, pointing his sword at her.  
  
“Oh, come off it. He’s dead, drop the act,” she said rolling her eyes.   
  
“Yes, my queen,” he said with an evil smirk. He walked up to her, pulled her in, and deeply kissed her.   
  
“Take Sir Castiel to the dungeon. Throw him in with Winchester.” she ordered.  
  
“With pleasure,” he said, scanning her face with lust in his eyes. He began walking to Cas.  
  
Rowena walked to the throne, stepping over Crowley’s corpse, finally taking her place at the throne. “Long live the queen!” she said grinning, face dripping with her son’s blood.  
  
Lucifer forcefully pushed Cas over, dragging him face down by his feet to the prisoner’s room. He took Cas over to Dean’s cell, opened the door, and kicked Cas in.   
  
“Cas!?” Dean screamed, running to and crouching over him. He gently turned Cas over on his back. He put his hand gently on his love’s bloody and scratched face.  
  
“Cas, you okay?! What’d they do to you?! Why are you here?!” Dean said, holding his broken man, tears forming. “You were safe, why did you come for me?!” The tears started falling. He looked around, “Where’s Sammy?”  
  
Cas looked up heartbrokenly at Dean, still sobbing. “He’s dead, Dean. Sam’s dead.”  
  
Dean’s face went white, he weakly sat back as if he couldn’t hold himself up anymore.  
  
They’d lost.  



	11. Chapter 11

A week later, Dean and Cas lay in their cell. They’ve endured a week of torture, both physically and mentally. Rowena keeps telling Dean that all he has to do to make it stop is agree to be a knight, but he still refuses. Dean sat up against the back wall. Cas was on the other side of the cramped cell. They sat there in silence as they had done for the past week. The two of them were cut up, bruised, broken.  
  
Cas sat there looking at Dean, who was sitting stone faced and silent, staring at the ground in the corner. Ever since he found out that Sam died, Dean hadn’t said a word. It was like the night that the old hideout burned down, only worse. Where that lasted a few hours at best, this haze had lasted a full week. Cas was starting to feel almost rejected, he was trying not to take it personally, but it was becoming hard not to. He needed his Dean back.  


“Dean,” Cas said, staring at his broken man from across the way.  
  
No response. Dean continued looking down.  
  
“Dean!” he said again, this time louder.  
  
Still nothing. It was as if Dean just wasn’t there.  
  
Cas had lost his patience. “Dean, I know this is horrible,” he said standing. “This is the worst thing that could have possibly happened,” he said walking over to him. “But you have to talk to me. You have to let me in, Dean. I know you want to. Please. I love you.” he said, sitting next to Dean.  
  
Dean blinked a few times, then looked down to see Cas was now holding his hand. He looked over at Cas, his face scratched and beaten, his eyes still as piercing as they were when they’d first met.  
  
“I failed, Cas,” Dean said semi-lifelessly. “I had one job…to protect Sammy…to protect you…and I failed,” he said heartbrokenly.  
  
“Dean,” he began, putting his hand on Dean’s face, “You did everything you could to protect us, it was our turn to protect you. We knew it would be risky but we both loved you enough to put our lives on the line. I’m sorry Sam was murdered…I don’t even know how to begin to show you that,” Cas said, Dean’s head now placed in his lap.  
  
“It wasn’t your fault, Cas. I don’t blame you. It was never your fault.”  
  
“Nor was it yours, Dean. Do you realize that?” Cas waited for a response, and was left waiting. “It wasn’t your fault, either, Dean.”  
  
Dean shrugged, and sat up.  
  
“I’m sorry I caved in like that again. I’ve been sitting here beating myself up for not protecting Sam when I’m supposed to be protecting you right now,” Dean said, putting his hand on Cas’ cheek. “I love you, Cas. Don’t you ever think I don’t.”  
  
Cas smiled for the first time in weeks.  
  
Suddenly the door that led to the rest of the castle flew open. Cas jolted back away from Dean. Rowena stormed in in a rage, Lucifer tailing shortly behind.  
  
“Dean Winchester, you are the most stubborn and irritating individual I have ever had to deal with!” she screamed through the bars. “I thought you were irritating when you were talking, but my God, it’s even worse when you’re silent.”  
  
Dean looked up at her and smirked. “Well, if I’ve pissed you off this much then I must be doing something right.”  
  
“You _will_ join my knights!” she commanded, quickly grabbing the bars in front of the cage. “You must. I don’t know how, yet, but I’m going to make you.”  
  
Dean glared back, shaking his head, loathing in his eyes. “You’re just gonna have to kill me, sweetheart. I’m never going to join you.”  
  
Her gaze shifted to Cas, who was staring back at her with passive fear in his eyes.  
  
“And _you_!” she said. “I’ve had my fun with you, but you’re no longer worth my time. I’ll be making arrangements for your transfer to The Golden Shit Bag tomorrow,” she said with a conniving smile.  
  
Cas looked to the ground,. He had no idea how they were going to get out of this. All he knew is that they had to. And they would… _right?_  
  
“I’ll be back. I’d torture you some more, but what’s the point? You don’t even scream anymore,” she said looking towards the door and frustratedly marching out. Lucifer following, slamming the door behind them.  
  
There was a moment or two of silence.  
  
Dean looked over at Cas, realizing what he was just told.  
  
“Cas? Cas, hey,” he said, walking over to him. “C’mon, it’s gonna be okay,” he said sitting next to him. Cas’ face automatically burrowed into Dean’s shoulder.  
  
“I’m going to die, Dean,” he said, muffled, beginning to cry. “After tomorrow I’ll never see you again…I don’t want to leave you, Dean.”  
  
Dean held Cas in his arms, he was trying to stay strong for him the way that Cas had been staying strong for Dean.  
  
“We’re gonna make it out of this, Cas. I promise you. I don’t know how yet, but I do know one thing- this world ain’t done with us yet.”  
  
“Dean, there’s nothing we can do. I’m going to die,” he said hysterically.  
  
Dean grabbed Cas’ shoulders and pulled him up to look at him. “Hey! No more of that,” he ordered, staring into Cas’ eyes, his throat sore from holding back tears. “You are gonna be just fine. I am gonna be just fine. And we are going to get out of here alive, Cas. I lost Sam- I won’t lose you too. And you better believe that you are never going lose me either, okay? Ever,” he said.  
  
“How do you know that, Dean. How can you possibly be so optimistic?” he said back, staring at Dean completely confused.  
  
“Because I love you. And I will do whatever I have to do to make sure that you live a long and happy life.” Dean stared at Cas, his blue eyes surrounded by a sea of red. The soft face of the man he loves was now tired, bloody, and bruised. Even so, Dean pulled Cas in and kissed him. Nothing in the world would break them apart. Nothing.  
  
The door burst open again, Rowena walked in and then paused, catching the two men in a kiss. They tried to pull away but they weren’t quick enough. She grinned, eyes narrowed. “My, my. They said you two were close, but who knew?” she said with a disgusted look on her face.  
  
Cas’ eyes snapped to Dean, who was already looking back with absolute fear. Dean knew what came next.  
  
“I finally know how I’m going to get through to you, Dean,” she said walking over to the door.  
  
“No! Don’t you dare!” he yelled back, rushing in front of Cas to protect him.  
  
Rowena threw her hand up and Dean couldn’t move anymore. The door to their cell flew open, she waltzed in and viciously grabbed Cas, who also was stuck. She walked out, secured the door, and unfroze Dean.  
  
“You get your disgusting hands off him you bitch!” he howled, bolting to the door, shaking it savagely.  
  
Cas just gazed back at Dean, hoping that the last thing he ever saw would be his love.  
  
“ _I’m_ disgusting? What you two do… _that_ is disgusting. The great Dean Winchester, the legendary Sir Castiel, nothing more than a queer joke,” she said, looking sickened.  
  
Dean still stared back, absolutely furious.  
  
“Well? Make your choice, Dean. You join my knights or I’ll slaughter your precious Castiel like I did your pathetic brother.” She pulled a sword from the wall behind her and held it to Cas’ neck.  
  
Dean’s hands were gripping the bars so tightly that he’d given himself blisters. Cas stared back at Dean, tears forming in his eyes.  
  
“You’ve got three seconds until I kill him, and trust me, I will. I’ve been wanting to for a long time now…One-”  
  
“I’ll join your knights,” Dean said without missing a beat.  
  
Cas’ heart nearly stopped. “Dean…no!” he struggled to get out.  
  
Rowena smiled wickedly. “There you go! I had a feeling you might.”  
  
“One condition,” he replied.  
  
Her smile faded as she rolled her eyes. “Oh? What would that be?”  
  
“Cas goes free and unharmed.”  
  
Rowena thought for a moment then looked up at Cas. “Alright.” She said, then cut Cas’ hand with her blade, his blood dripped into a vial that she had produced from her small bag that was tied to her small belt.  
  
“What the hell?! Did you not just here me? I said _unharmed_!” Dean screamed with a sneer.  
  
“And I agreed. Staring now,” she said, putting the vial of blood in her bag. “But I have his blood as sort of a safety precaution. The moment you disobey orders, or try to escape, I will find him-”  
  
“And you’ll kill him, I know. Original,” Dean said rolling his eyes.  
  
“Oh, no dear,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll make _you_ kill him.”   
  
Dean stared at Rowena with pure hatred in his eyes.  
  
“Lucifer!” she beckoned.  
  
The blonde knight walked in slowly. “Yes, my queen?”  
  
“Throw him out of our kingdom and tell the guards that if they ever see him again to kill him immediately.”  
  
“With pleasure,” he said, forcibly ripping Cas away from her, dragging him out of the room.  
  
Dean started panicking. “Wait, wait! Cas!!! _Cas_!!! It’s gonna be okay…you’re gonna be okay!!!” he screamed, watching the love of his life be ripped away from him again.  
  
“That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” Rowena said, walking up to the bars.  


* * *

At the gate of the kingdom, Cas was being thrown out.  
  
“You hear her? You ever try to come back, you’re dead on sight,” Lucifer warned as he tossed Cas out into the mud.  
  
Cas looked back at him from the floor, dirt and blood on his face. “What happened to you, Lucifer? You were one of the best knights. You were practically next in line for the throne. Why did you betray the kingdom?”  
  
Lucifer glared back, looking unimpressed. “I know a winning team when I see one. You know, Castiel, I get that you view us as two very different people. But we’re not.”  
  
“I am _nothing_ like you,” Cas scoffed, beginning to pick himself off the floor. “You’re a disgrace”  
  
Lucifer was enraged. “Really? Really? Hmm. How would your ‘ _great king_ ’ feel if he knew you’ve been robbing people blind, huh? Or, even better, how would he feel if he found out that the _man_ you were instructed to capture was now the man that you’ve been doing _God knows what_ sort of ‘immoral’ things with. You and I are just the same in his eyes, you insignificant little pest.”  
  
Silence.  
  
“You come back, you’re dead. Oh, and Castiel? Enjoy dying alone!” Lucifer called out as the gate slammed shut behind him.  


Cas was left there in the pouring rain, staring at the black metal gate. He had lost Dean again…but this time, instead of feeling depressed and empty, he was filled with absolute rage and determination. He _would_ see Dean again. He _would_ get him back, and he would _not_ die alone, he had decided. He began his long journey back to the cave.  
  
After about a day of travel, the exhausted Cas finally made it back to his old home, the cave. He walked in, weak and weary from the long journey, and collapsed on the floor. He looked up and around, yet saw no one. His vision began to get blurry, and before he knew it, he had slipped out of consciousness.  
  
Cas woke up in his bed. Charlie was sitting in front of him.  
  
“Cas! Cas! You’re awake! Oh thank God,” she said with a sigh of relief.  
  
“Wh…what happened…?” he said, groggily sitting up.  
  
“I don’t know, Cas. We came back and saw you laying on the floor. So we moved you to your bed, gave you some water, and here we are.”  
  
“We? Who’s still here?” he said sitting up.  
  
“Me, Jess, Ellen, Claire, Kevin, and obviously Jo. What happened? How did you get back, and where are Sam and Dean?”

  
“Dean’s still there…Rowena…she’s not who she pretended to be. She was the head of the coven the entire time…she killed Meg and King Crowley, and she forced Dean to become one of her knights by threatening to kill me.”  
  
“Holy shit,” she said staring down in disbelief. “So, we save Sam and Dean. It’s decided.”  
  
“I don’t really know how to tell you this…” he said, looking at her worriedly.  
  
“Tell me what, Cas?”  
  
“Rowena…she…she killed Sam.”  
  
Charlie’s body went numb. She sat there motionless for a few moments. Cas watched as her face melted into sadness, then quickly to anger. She looked back up at Cas. “So we save Dean, and avenge Sam.”  
  
“You said Jess is here?” he asked, beginning to stand up from the bed.  
  
“Shit…Jess…” she said, standing and putting her hand on her forehead. “Cas, I’ll…I’ll tell her. You’ve been through enough.”  
  
Cas watched as Charlie collected herself. How brave she was, he thought.  
  
Charlie opened the door for Cas and he walked out into the cave. There he saw Ellen and Jess sitting at the table. Claire and Kevin were at another.  
  
“Jess. Can we talk for a minute?” Charlie said, attempting to sound strong.  
  
Jess looked up. She could tell something was wrong. “Yeah of course,” she said hesitantly, standing from the table, walking to Charlie.

Cas watched as the two walked into Charlie’s room. He walked over to the table that Ellen was seated at and joined her.  
  
“Well, look at you. You've certainly been through quite a lot, haven’t you?”  
  
Cas shrugged. “I suppose…Dean’s always gotten me out of every mess, though. He’s the reason I’m still alive.” Cas’ face turned to worry.  
  
“What’s wrong, hun?” Ellen asked.  
  
“I just want to know that he’s okay. Rowena…She made Dean choose between my life and becoming one of her knights. Dean has given up his freedom for me on multiple occasions. No one has ever done that for me before.”  
  
“Love makes people stupid, hun. I’ve known Dean for quite some time now, and boy, he sure does love you. I’ve been able to see things that even you haven’t. The way he glances at you when you’re not looking, the smile on his face when you tell a joke. It’s a different smile, a different laugh than it is with anyone else. Dean’s as stubborn as they come, and the minute he saw you laying down, half dead, he decided he was going to protect you. Lord knows if he knew he was in love or not. I did though. He fell for you the minute he saw you.”  
  
Cas smirked, “He does love me quite a lot, doesn’t he?”  
  
Ellen just stares at Cas, nodding. “Ya think?” she said with a wink.  
  
“I’m sorry about Bobby, Ellen.”  
  
“He gave his life for his boys. He died fighting for the people he loved. Of course I’m heartbroken that he’s gone,” she said, her smile fading for her face. “But, he was a hero. My hero. And I know we’ll be together again. He’d just better wait for me.”  
  
Jess screamed from Charlie’s room and burst through the door. Charlie quickly followed her, tears falling. Jess tried to run, but she collapsed to the floor, completely inconsolable. Charlie lay down next to her and gave her a hug.  
  
“What the hell happened?” Ellen asked Cas.  
  
“Rowena. She uh…killed Sam,” Cas responded  
  
Ellen looked shocked for a few moments. She started nodding, looked back to Cas and said, “That’s it, she’s dead.”

* * *

The next day, Cas was walking through the nearby town into the marketplace where Jess typically works. She had given him some money so he could go shop for some food for everyone. He didn’t feel like thieving right now- without Dean it wasn’t any fun. As he walked through town, he bought some fruit, some meat, and a jug of water. As he began walking home, he strolled by a large board near the center of town. On it were some missing people reports, general information, pieces of parchment detailing some events the town would be holding, and a single piece of parchment that just read “Billie The Witch Hunter” with an address below it. Cas ripped the paper off of the board, stuffed it into his bag, and headed back to the cave.

As he arrived back, he put the food and water on one of the tables, and went over to Charlie’s door. He knocked.  
  
“Charlie? Charlie, I’m back. I think I know how to get Dean back,” he said, staring at the witch hunter’s flyer.  
  
“Come in!” she yelled from the other side.  
  
Cas opened the door, standing at the threshold. Charlie was sitting on the bed next to Jo.  
  
“What’s up?” she asked.

Cas began walking towards her with a smile on his face. “Take a look at this!” he handed the paper to her and leaned his shoulder against the wall, arms crossed.  
  
Charlie looked down and read the information for a second, then looked back up. “I don’t think a single witch hunter is going to be able to help us too much, Cas,” she said honestly, handing the paper back to Cas.  
  
“No, maybe not a lot, but we don’t know that she’s alone, and maybe she can teach us some ways to take down witches specifically! I think this could really help us. I mean, think about it. The knights are now without a doubt all going to be armed with witchcraft. They were strong before. I can’t even imagine what they’re like now.”  
  
“You’re not wrong, Cas, but even if we knew how to deflect a few spells, we’re still a small group. I’m all for risking my life to save Dean and avenge Sam, don’t get me wrong, I’m angry too. But I have to think about Jo. Without me or Ellen she’ll die, and I refuse to let that happen,” she said. She looked down at Jo. “I couldn’t imagine losing her, losing the love of my life…”  
  
Cas looked down at the ground. “I could…”  
  
Charlie realized it was a bit too late to put her foot in her mouth. She quickly became embarrassed. “Cas, I’m sorry, that was insensitive…I didn’t mean to-”  
  
“It’s fine, Charlie,” he said shortly. He calmed himself down, not letting himself be offended even though he knew he wanted to be. It wouldn’t be fair to take his anger out on Charlie- he knew that she meant no harm. “I’m going to go meet her, anyway,” he decided.  
  
“Let me know what happens,” she said.  
  
He walked out of Charlie’s room, closing the door behind him.  
  
He began walking to his room to gather up some things for his journey back to the nearby town. He was stopped by a voice.  
  
“Cas?” the younger female voice said, he’d never heard it before.  
  
Cas turned around and saw that Claire was behind him. “ _Odd.._ ” he thought to himself. “ _I’ve been with this group for a while now, why have she and I never spoken?_ ” he wondered. He realized that he was probably avoiding her our of guilt for what he’d done to her life.  
  
“Yes, Claire?” he said, semi-confusedly. 

“Did I hear you say something about a witch hunter?” she asked.  
  
“Claire, you shouldn’t eavesdrop,” he reprimanded. She was still a teenager so he figured maybe he’d have some sort of authority on her.  
  
She rolled her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “I steal things for a living…we all do.”  
  
“ _Shit_ ” he thought to himself. “Touché,” he said. “Well, in any case, you heard correctly. I’m going to find this witch hunter and see if there’s any way that she can help us save Dean.”  
  
“Can I come with you? I don’t want to be cooped up in this cave anymore. It’s driving me insane,” she said, holding her arm self-consciously.  
  
Cas smiled. “Of course, Claire. Let me get my things and we’ll head out.”  
  
Claire smiled back and nodded, excitedly walking to her room to gather her belongings.  
  
Cas entered his room, closed the door behind him, and looked around. He looked at the wooden walls, the dresser that was still full of both his and Dean’s clothes. He looked at the bed that he and Dean had slept in together almost every night for over a year. He knew he wasn’t, but Cas felt alone. “I’m going to save you, Dean. I will do whatever it takes to save you.”  
  
Cas gathered up his belongings, met Claire outside, and they began their walk to the town.  
  
They walked together silently for a few moments.  
  
“Claire, why is it that this is the first time you’re talking to me?” he asked.  
  
“I…I don’t know. I mean, you haven’t really talked to me either,” she responded.  
  
“Well, we are now. That’s good, right?”

She shrugged.  
  
Cas was unsure of how to approach her. She was a teenager, yes, but she acted like an adult. He supposed that had to be due to the fact that her parents had been killed.  
  
“Ever met a witch hunter before?” he asked, failing at conversation. He may have become a bandit, but he was still rather socially awkward without Dean to encourage him.  
  
“Nope,” she said shortly.  
  
“How did you find your way to Dean and his bandits?”  
  
“Well, after I lost my parents, I wasn’t really sure where to go. I tried living with that Jody woman- she was nice, but we didn’t get along.”  
  
“Thank you for the tip off about that inn she runs, by the way. That was our biggest heist in a very long time.”  
  
“Sure. Anyway, it didn’t work out. I tried to work, but no one would take me. I didn’t want to grow up an orphan, not with how they’re treated here, so I just started roaming and finding new villages to crash in. One night, I was sleeping under this bridge, and I was woken up by a bunch of people talking. I heard them say something about a heist, so, naturally I became interested. I followed them around, trying to make sure that they didn’t see me, but, unfortunately, Charlie caught me. I was warned not to follow them, but I knew they’d never hurt me. So I kept following them, and eventually I got to meet with Dean, and for some reason he really seemed to sympathize with me. He let me stay with them, but still wouldn’t let me join them on their heists. So, I started making my own little petty thefts, trying to prove to Dean that I could do what they did. But he didn’t let me until a year later when I was 15. I’ve been with them ever since.”  
  
“What a life you’ve lived so far…I’m sorry about what happened to your parents, Claire,” Cas said, stopping.  
  
Claire paused a moment. “I, uhm, I have to go,” she said, then quickly ran off into the trees near them. Cas chased after her, confused and feeling responsible for her. He ran for a few minutes more weaving in and out of trees, jumping over rocks and logs, until finally she had faded from sight. After realizing he had no idea where she was, he decided to head back to the cave to get help. He turned around, and was met with Claire holding a crossbow, staring at him.  
  
“Claire, what are you-”  
  
“Shut up,” she said angrily. Cas put his arms up. “You’re _sorry_ about my parents? _You’re_ sorry. Your people did it! This was your fault!”  
  
“Claire, please try to calm down. Put the crossbow down.”  
  
“Don’t tell me to calm down! You don’t think I know it was you? Of course I know you killed him. I could never forget the face of the man who killed my father, Castiel. I have waited my entire life for this moment!” she screamed.  
  
“You’re right, Claire, you’re right. This was my fault, and if I could fix what has been done to you, I would,” he said back.  
  
“But you can’t,” she said, raising her crossbow.

“And neither can you, Claire,” a voice said from behind her. Claire whipped around and saw Charlie standing there. “Killing Cas won’t bring them back. It won’t end the pain. It will just add on more, and more, and it’ll pile up and eventually you’ll turn into someone like Rowena. Ruthless, bitter, and evil. Is that who you want to be, Claire?” she asked.  
  
“How would you know anything about this? You don’t know how I feel! You have no idea what it’s like growing up without your family!” Claire screamed back.  
  
“Actually, Claire, I do. My mother was murdered too. I was only a little older than you were when it happened. My dad was a drunk, and I realized I’d do better on my own. I didn’t want to turn to alcohol to smother my pain like he had. I didn’t want to ignore my heartache. I used to, and it turned me into someone I didn’t want to be. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes that I made, kiddo.”  
  
“I don’t want that for you either, Claire. I know that what I did destroyed your life, I know. But I’ve changed, Claire. I’m not that man anymore,” Cas said.  
  
“You’re still Castiel,” she said  
  
“No, Claire. I’m not. I haven’t been Castiel for a very long time. That version of me, that mindless soldier…he’s gone. I don’t want to be like him anymore. I don’t want to take orders without question. All I want, Claire, is to save the man I love and bring him home safely.”  
  
Claire stood, crossbow still aimed at Cas.  
  
“I can’t do that if you shoot me, Claire. I can’t save Dean if you shoot me.”  
  
“You’ve got the chance to make the right choice, Claire,” Charlie said.  
  
Claire glared at Cas, eyes full of tears. She dropped her crossbow, which fell to the ground, and began to cry. She ran to Cas, and he held her in his arms.  
  
“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” she said.  
  
“Me too, Claire…it’s okay,” he said, calming her down.  
  
Charlie walked over smiling and embraced Claire as well.  
  
“What’re you doing out here?” Cas asked quietly.  
  
“I figured I’d try to catch up with you two. No harm in trying to find help where we can. Thank God I did.”  
  
After a few moments of consoling, Claire agreed to continue to help Cas and Charlie find the witch hunter. They arrived in town 30 minutes later. It was a little passed sundown at this point. They walked through the town, strolling by the local tavern, the small shacks, the stables, and finally they arrived at a relatively small house that matched the address on the flyer.  
  
“So, this is it,” Claire said.  
  
“Yes, it is,” Cas replied.  
  
“Let’s do it,” Charlie said.  
  
He knocked on the door, and after a few moments, a woman answered it.  
  
“Yea? Can I help you?” she said impatiently.  
  
Cas held the flyer up. “We’re here to see Billie. Is that you?”  
  
“No. She’s busy. Come back later,” the woman said, beginning to shut the door.  
  
“Wait! We know who the queen of the coven is!” Claire screamed desperately.  
  
The woman halted, and looked at the three. “…One moment,” she said, closing the door.  
  
Cas and Claire just looked at each other, and after a few moments, the woman opened the door again. “She’ll see you.”  
  
The three bandits walked into the house, and saw a woman sitting at wooden table. The woman didn’t say anything- she only raised her hand and motioned for them to come to her. They did so.  
  
She stood up, stared at Cas, and said, “So, how can we help each other today?”


	12. Chapter 12

**-Day One-**  
  
“Let me get this straight: you and Dean Winchester are in love, and he was taken by Lady Rowena who you claim is the queen of the coven?” Billie asked.  
  
“That is correct,” Cas said back.  
  
“You believin’ a word this man is saying, Tessa?” she asked her second in command.  
  
“It’s a pretty wild story, but he’s a credible person,” the brunette woman replied.

“It’s true. I was there when Dean was captured. We all were,” Charlie said.  
  
“Yeah! And they disappeared in a cloud of black smoke! That’s totally witchcraft!” Claire said.

Billie took a breath. “Okay, here’s what I can do for you. Since Tessa trusts you, I’ll believe you.”  
  
Cas smiled.  
  
“My group and I can teach you and your people how to ward yourselves from certain spells and how to kill witches more efficiently. If you want to storm the castle, you’re going to need a miracle and a small army. We will help you, but you need to get more people or we’re out. That’s my deal. Get us an army, and we’ll help,” Billie said standing up.  
  
Cas stood. “Thank you, Billie. Give us a week and we’ll get an army,” he said, shaking her hand.  
  
“For all our sakes, I hope so.”  
  
The three left Billie’s house, and began their walk back to their cave.  
  
“An army? How can we do that?” Claire asked.  
  
“I have no idea, Claire. But, we have to. Billie’s right, if we go in by ourselves, it’s a death sentence, even with the proper warding,” Cas said.

“Well, let’s think…do we have any connections with any other thieves in the area?” Charlie asked.  
  
“The only person who would know anything about that would be Bobby…maybe we should ask Ellen if she remembers him saying anything about others?” Cas said.  
  
“It’s worth a shot. Claire, do you know anyone who might help us?” Charlie asked.  
  
“I can possibly go see Jody, that innkeeper. We have a past. I’ll see if maybe she can talk to people from her inn?” she said.  
  
“It’s worth a shot. Go with Kevin tomorrow, and be safe,” Charlie said.  
  
“I wish Sam were here…he was the one who always organized our heists. He’d know what to do,” Cas said, looking towards the ground.  
  
“Well, he’s not. Sam was like a brother to me, and that demon Rowena took him from us. She has taken everyone I love, and she’s going to pay. This is for Jo, Sam, and Dean,” Charlie said, determinedly.  
  
“For Jo, Sam, and Dean,” Cas repeated.  
  
The three arrived back at the cave a half hour later. Cas walked in and went straight to Ellen, Claire went to Kevin, and Charlie went to go check on Jess and Jo.  
  
“Ellen, do you remember Bobby saying anything about us being in good standing with any other group of bandits?” Cas asked.  
  
“Well, we’re a bit hated amongst our ‘peers’…but, I think I remember him saying something about a man named Rufus? He leads a relatively large band of thieves. I can try to get into contact with him. What’s this all about?” she asked.

“We’re getting an army together to save Dean and avenge Sam. This witch hunter named Billie is going to help us if we can gather enough people to attack. We’re to meet up here next week with everyone, and then if she feels we have enough people, we attack.”  
  
“Well, let’s get working, then,” Ellen said with a confident smile.  


The next day, Claire and Kevin started their journey to the inn, Charlie and Jess went to go meet with Rufus’ bandits, and Cas and Ellen went to the nearby town to see if anyone would help them. It was a busy day, the beginning of the week, and business was booming as usual. Peasant men and women were rushing around Cas and Ellen, completely ignoring them.  
  
“Excuse me sir, could I speak to you for a-” Cas began  
  
“I don’t have any money. Find work,” the man said pushing passed Cas.  
  
“Hi, honey, do you have a minute to-” Ellen would start.  
  
“Ugh, lady, no. Aren’t you a little too old to be doing that sort of thing?” another man said, looking disgusted and walking quickly away from her.  
  
After hours of dismissal, Cas exploded.  
  
“This is pointless!” he screamed. “These people are only interested in themselves!”  
  
“We knew it’d be hard, Cas, but c’mon, we’re not giving up,” Ellen commanded.  
  
Ellen walked over to a statue of the founder of the town they were in, weaving in and out of people. She climbed up it, and began to scream, “Hey!!! Everyone shut up! It’s an emergency!!!”  
  
Cas was completely uncomfortable, but it was effective. The crowds stopped; they went silent.  
  
“My friend and I need help,” she said pointing to Cas, who awkwardly walked over to join her. “How many of you have had their loved ones stolen from them by the knights of the twisted crown or these horrible witches?!” she called out.  
  
Many of the townspeople responded- nearly all of them had been affected by these brute forces.  
  
“Well, we have knowledge that the two of them are now working together. And something’s telling me that our lives are all about to get a hell of a lot worse because of it.”  
  
“Why should we believe you?” a woman screamed out from the crowd.  
  
“Do you want to wait around until the flags of the twisted crown start flying here? When is enough enough? We have all been terrorized by these monsters for far too long. We have had enough!”  
  
Some men cheered from the crowd.  
  
“We are angry, we are tired, and we are done being their slaves!!!” she howled.  
  
The entire crowd began cheering and screaming. Cas stood there silently watching it all happen. This was it. This was the beginning of the revolution. Cas admired Ellen’s courage, her fearlessness.  
  
“Hold on, hold on, everyone shut up!” a man from the crowd screamed. “How are we going to fight witches and knights? We aren’t warriors!” he yelled.  
  
“Cas, would you like to tell them?” Ellen asked. Cas stared back with fear in his eyes, Ellen looked at him and nodded her head. Cas joined her up on the statue.  
  
“I…met with a witch hunter yesterday, and she and her group are going to be teaching us how to fight back and actually win,” he said loudly.  
  
“I’m not going to die for this! I have kids!” one women said. Other people began to agree and started walking away.  
  
“Wait!” Cas screamed. “Please. The m-…the person that I love was stolen from me by them. They’ve slaughtered my friends; everyone I’ve come to care about. The witches have cursed and killed many of our friends and family as well. Not all of you have to fight, I’m not expecting that, but I am begging those of you who can to join us. Help us. Help me save the love of my life. Help us avenge the countless losses that these horrible creatures have caused. I’m begging you,” Cas said to the mob.  
  
After a few moments of silence, Cas was sure they were all about to walk away and that his speech had made no impact on them.  
  
“I’ll do it!” one man screamed, then a woman joined in as well, then more and more until eventually most of the people had their hands raised offering their services.  
  
Ellen looked over at Cas. “You sure that knight in you is dead?” she laughed.  
  
**—Day Two—**  
  
Charlie and Jess arrived at Rufus’ hideout a day later. It was quite a journey away from the cave. Rufus and his gang lived in an underground cavern somewhere near The Golden Kingdom. Charlie and Jess finally arrived at the hidden door that opened up to the hideout.  
  
“Do…we knock or…is there some sort of bird call we have to do?” Jess asked.  
  
“I have no idea. Ellen said there’d be someone out here standing guard but I haven’t seen anyone.”  
  
“Well then let’s go in,” Jess said, beginning to walk to the door, not realizing that she’d just walked through a trip wire. Before she knew it, she was trapped in a net and hanging upside down from a nearby tree.  
  
“Shit, Jess?! You okay!” Charlie screamed up.  
  
“Well, my ego’s pretty bruised, as is my knee…but besides that and my petrifying fear of heights, I’m doing alright!” she yelled back.  
  
“Okay! I’m going to try to get you down! Don’t move,” Charlie said as she began to look for something in her bag to cut the rope.  
  
“Oh, really? I figured I might take a stroll while I waited. Y’know, stretch my legs, see the world!” Jess yelled back sarcastically.  
  
“Not the time, Jess!” Charlie said as she pulled a knife out of her satchel. She walked over to the rope that was holding Jess up and began to cut it.  
  
“Uhm, Charlie!” Jess began to scream.  
  
“I’ve almost got you down! Don’t worry, I’ll catch you,” she said back.  
  
“Or maybe you don’t and you tell me what the fuck it is you’re doing here?” a low voice said from behind her.  
  
Charlie shot back around, knife in hand. She looked at the older man whos bow was drawn, back down at the knife, and looked back up with fear in her eyes. “Oh! This looks bad. We weren’t trying to rob you or anything, or even attack you! We don’t even know you! I mean, we sort of do, we know of you, but we’re not assassins, no one put us up to this or anything like that!” she rambled.  
  
“Y’know I think my chances of survival are much higher up here!” Jess screamed from the tree.  
  
“I’m about five seconds away from shooting you in the head. Who are you and what do you want?!” the man howled.  
  
Charlie stood there in fear for her life for a moment. “We’re friends of Robert Singer.”  
  
The man lowered his weapon. “You know Bobby? I haven’t seen him in months. But why are you here? And where’s he?”  
  
Charlie just looked away, unsure of how to tell this man that his friend was killed.  
  
“You know what? Come on in. Something tells me we have a lot to talk about,” the man said. With one quick motion he snapped the rope holding up Jess and Charlie caught her.  
  
“Well, that was unexpected,” she said.  
  
“I’m Rufus, by the way,” the man said, opening the door.

* * *

 

Claire and Kevin arrived at the inn. They’d gotten lost along the way so it took them about a day’s worth of travel. Claire opened the door; the inn was full of life inside.Jody was helping customers, Alex was somewhere upstairs probably pretending to be doing work. Claire stood there at the door frightened to see the only women she’d ever actually been cared for by.  
  
“Hey. You can do this,” Kevin said, putting his hand on her shoulder with a smile.  
  
Claire smiled back, and after taking a breath, entered the inn. Kevin went and sat down across the room while she walked up to Jody. When Jody saw Claire, her face went completely blank for a moment, then, suddenly, her eyes widened with recognition.  
  
“Claire?! What are you doing here?! Where have you been?! Are you alright?!” she said, grabbing her into a hug.  
  
“I’m fine, Jody. Really,” Claire said getting out of the hug. “Where’s Alex?”  


“Upstairs. Don’t worry, she’s not coming down,” Jody reassured her.

  
“Okay, well…I’m here because…someone that I’ve been living with was taken from me and my friends by The Knights of The Twisted Crown, and as it turns out, the queen of the coven herself.”  
  
“Who?!” Jody asked concernedly.  
  
“Uhm…Dean…Winchester…” Claire said apprehensively. 

* * *

“So. Bobby’s gone. What a shame,” Rufus said.  
  
The three of them were now inside of his hideout, which was underground. They were sitting at a circular wooden table near the middle of the cavern. The members of his gang were all doing their duties. They were much more uniform than their gang, and greatly outnumbered them now, with all the deaths that had occurred during the battle in the cave.  
  
“Unfortunately, yes,” Charlie said back.  
  
“And you want me to help you and your bandits take down the people who did it?” he asked.  
  
“Anything you could do to help.”  
  
“Well, Bobby was a dear friend. I know how much he cared about those boys, and if he were still here, nothing on Earth could stop him from doing everything in his power to save Dean and avenge Sam. So, for old time’s sake…we’re in.”  
  
“Thank you so much, Rufus. You have no idea how much you’re going to help us,” Charlie said, giving him a hug. She stopped smiling for a moment, realizing this man definitely didn’t want her touching him. She backed away slowly. “Sorry.”  
  
“Now, here’s the harder question to ask,” Jess began.  
  
“Let’s hear it,” he said.  
  
“Think you can get anyone else’s gang to meet up at our hideout next week and help us?” Charlie asked.  
  
“You know who you guys are, right?” Rufus said. “You guys aren’t exactly everyone’s favorite group of people.”  
  


* * *

“Dean Winchester?!” Jody howled. She had taken Claire upstairs into her room. 

“Yes, Dean Winchester. You don’t have to keep saying it. And stop pacing, you’re making me dizzy.”  
  
“I’m pacing because I’m in complete shock!!!” Jody screamed. “You’ve been living with that criminal?!”  
  
“He’s more than just a criminal, Jody. He’s a person.”  
  
“Did you know he robbed my inn completely blind?! I almost lost my business! We had to bar the windows!!!”  
  
“Yeah, and we still have most of the stuff so we can bring it back. But only if you help us,” Claire bargained.  
  
“Help you!? Do you know what happened to Alex because of him?! While we were chasing after him, Alex was attacked by a witch, and now she won’t wake up!!!”  
  
“Shit. Seriously?”  
  
“Language. And yes. She’s been asleep since. I’m starting to get scared that we’re going to lose her.”  
  
“Don’t you want revenge for that?! Don’t you think it’s time that these witches pay for what they’ve done to everyone?”

“Sweetheart, I love you, I do, and when you left it truly broke my heart. But this man is a monster! I’m not the only one who thinks so!”  
  
“He’s not a monster!” Claire screamed. “He took me in, he took care of me, and he understands me! I was finally in a place I felt happy and accepted. If not for Dean, then do it for Alex. We wipe out the queen of the coven, we wipe away anyone who has been effected by her magic. These witches get all their magic from her, and if we kill her, we cut it off at the source. No more coven, no more magic, no more curses, Alex wakes up.”  
  
Jody stood there a moment, thinking. She walked over to her bed and sat down, putting her head in her hands.  
  
“I can’t believe I’m going to do this…” Jody said.  
  
“So, you’ll help?!” Claire asked excitedly.  
  
“Fine, fine. What do I do?”  
  
Claire smiled. “I made some posters with some information about our group we’re creating. You get a lot of visitors from different towns. Be careful, but start passing them out to people. We need word to spread like wildfire. We need an army.”  
  
“I’m not doing this for him. I’m doing this for you and Alex. Remember that,” Jody said, standing up.  
  
“As long as you’re doing it, I’m happy,” Claire said.  
  
Jody pulled her in for a hug. “I never wanted this life for you, Claire.”  
  
“No one ever does, but this is reality. It happens.”  
  
“Just be safe, okay? You and Alex mean the world to me, even though we’ve all had our differences in the past.”  
  
“I know. I still care, too.”  
  
“That boy downstairs, he’s cute. Did someone finally win your heart?” Jody teased.  
  
“No, no, no. I’m not interested in that sort of thing. Plus he’s like way older than me.”  
  
“Well, you’re still young, maybe you’ll find someone who will make you interested?”  
  
“No, I don’t think so. Not my thing. Really. Relationships and whatnot.”  
  
“Well, that’s your call. You don’t want to be with anyone, you don’t have to be. Just keep your friends close,” Jody said.  
  
“Thanks, Jody,” Claire said with a smile.

The two women walked out of the room, down the stairs, and back into the main hall. Kevin got up to meet them.

“So?” Kevin asked.  
  
“Hand over the fliers” Jody said.  


** —Day Three— **

The next day, Charlie, Jess, Kevin, and Claire all returned to the cave and shared their success stories with Ellen and Cas.  
  
“We have four more days to find more people! We have a solid amount now, but we still need more,” Cas instructed. “I got a few maps from the town. Ellen and I have assigned specific towns to all of us. Jess, you’re coming with me to these three,” he said pointing to the map. “Ellen and Kevin, you two are going to these three, and Charlie and Claire, you’re going to these three.”  
  
“What do we do when we get there?” Claire asked.  
  
“Talk to the people. We have all been effected by the knights and the witches in some way or another. Appeal to that. We’re starting a revolution. Be careful. I know you all just got back, so, we will leave tomorrow. Rest up, we have a lot of work to do,” Cas said. 

**-Day Four-**  
  
Charlie and Claire left early in the morning for their  towns since they had the farthest to walk. Cas and Jess left next. A few hours into the walk, Cas and Jess sat down for a rest.  
  
“Something’s different about you, Jess,” Cas said.  
  
“Well, I cut my hair pretty short,” she joked.  
  
“No, no it’s not that. Before Sam was…well…you were very shy. You were very against violence. You would never have thought to work with his group. What happened?”  


“C’mon, Cas. You know what happened. The same thing that happened to you. They’ve taken everything from us, they’ve spat in our faces, and we’re both done. Revolution has awakened a part of me that I never knew existed. I’m pissed. I’m ready to fight. I’m ready to win. They will take no more from us,” Jess said.  
  
Cas nodded. “Well, I like new Jess too.”  
  
“Good. I’m here to stay.”

“Let’s get back to work then, soldier,” Cas teased.  
  
The two got to their first town, and it went similarly to his first attempt with Ellen. Except Jess didn’t really wait for people to ignore her to get their attention, she demanded it. No longer was she the timid apple saleswoman- she was a full-blown rebel. Town one was a success, though. They’d recruited roughly 150 more people to their cause. They went off to town two, same story. They walk in, cause a scene, get people to join them, and tell them to meet them at their cave in three day’s time. They were able to stay in a local inn for free. Slowly but surely, the word of their cause spread, and people began to see them as heroes rather than thieves. 

**-Day Five-**  
  
Cas and Jess set off on their journey for the third and final town. They woke up early and got to the town by sundown. Same routine. Their numbers grew larger and larger. Cas only hoped the others were having as much luck as they were. They began to head back for a few hours, and stayed at an inn on the road, about half a day’s journey from their cave. Cas and Jess truly connected. They were the Winchesters’ chosen people. They bonded over sharing stories of Sam and Dean, sometimes occasionally consoling each other about their losses. They figured that everyone knew what it felt like to lose someone close to them, but they were really the only ones who knew what it was like to lose a Winchester. There was something different about the way a Winchester boy loves. It’s really unlike anything else either of them had encountered. They loved with their entire being. Sam apparently was a very suave and romantic guy, to which Cas had no idea. Dean wasn’t very outward with his words of affirmation. He wasn’t the one to sit there and tell you how beautiful you were 24/7, however, when he did you knew he meant it. All Cas wanted was to see Dean’s smiling face again. To hear him ask him if he was okay, and for Cas to be able to wholeheartedly say yes. He missed Dean’s strong embrace, the way he would kiss his nose while they lay there together, the way he’d nuzzle his nose in the back of his head when they’d cuddle. Cas missed the conversations he could only have with Dean, the way the two just clicked, the way they just understood each other. The moments where they’d sneak out of the cave at night, just to go back to their favorite meadow and lay there together under the stars. Dean loved the stars, he would show Cas the different constellations and tell him what they meant. Cas loved the way Dean looked bathed in the soft moonlight. The way his eyes filled with wonder as he stared out into what looked to be infinity. That was another thing Cas loved…seeing another side of him that no one else got to. Around everyone else, Dean had a tough persona. He had to. He had a name to live up to. But around Cas, he could let his guard down. He could be who he was, fearlessly. What Cas missed most of all was the way he would look at him. The same way he looked at him the night they danced together. The same way he looked the night he told him that he loved him. The same way, Cas knew, that he’d look when they saved him. Then they could go home and be together without the constant fear of losing each other.  
  
That night, Cas had a dream about Dean. He and Cas were walking together hand in hand in a massive open field. It was mid day in early spring, Cas’ favorite time of year. He loved the way the world came back to life after the winter. The way the flowers bloomed, the bees pollinated, and the birds soared. It reminded him every year that even through the harshness of winter, life prevailed. It reminded him to never give up fighting for what he believed in, for the love that he believed in. Their house stood near some trees. It was a medium sized house, not too big but big enough for the two of them. They were much older- they were old men. They’d lived a full life together. Dean’s hair was grey, his skin a bit wrinkled, but he still looked handsome as ever.  
  
“Cas,” the elderly Dean said.  
  
“Yes, Dean?”  
  
“I never thought we’d make it here. I never thought that you and I could be together and be happy.”  
  
“We are Dean. We made it.”  
  
They walked into their house, far away from anyone else, in some distant land, and they were happy. They truly had made it. Cas knew he had to wake up early, but he didn’t let himself wake up quite yet. He missed this.  
  
  **-Day Six-**  
  
“Cas, hey, wake up man, time to go,” Jess said as she smacked Cas with a pillow.  
  
Cas groaned, “few more minutes…I’m with Dean.” He rolled over, taking the pillow and putting it over his head.  
  
“No, Cas, come on. We have a long journey ahead of us and we need to be back by tonight,” she said, ripping the covers off of him.

“Ugh. Says who?” he said, muffled by the pillow.

“You.”  
  
Cas took a breath and removed the pillow from his face. “I suck.”  
  
“C’mon,” Jess said with a laugh.  
  
Cas got ready and they were off.

About half a day later, they finally arrived at the cave. Inside, the rest were waiting.  
  
“So, how’d it go?” Cas asked the group.  


“Well, Charlie and I got about 300 people who said they’d help!” Claire said with a smile.  


“That’s amazing!!! Great job you two,” Cas said.

“Ellen, what about you and Kevin?” Jess asked.

“We weren’t quite as lucky, but, we got about 50 from each, so, about 150 people,” she said.  
  
“Sorry. I’m not so good with talking in front of people,” Kevin admitted.  
  
“150 is better than nothing, Kevin. You two did a great job as well,” Cas said. “Thank you all, sincerely. I know this has been a risk, I know that you’ve all put your necks on the line, but it’s about to pay off. I can feel it. We’re about to take down The Twisted Crown and the coven all at once. God help them,” Cas said.  


That night, Cas lay in bed, nervous, restless. He decided he’d sit up- no sense in trying to force himself to sleep. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering what Dean was doing right now. If he was okay, what horrible things Rowena could possibly be making him do. Cas felt so guilty. After all, he thought, if it weren’t for him, Dean wouldn’t be in this mess. There was a light knock on the door. Cas got out of bed, put on Dean’s robe, and opened the door to reveal Charlie standing there.  
  
“Can’t sleep either?” she asked with a soft smile.  


“No,” he said. He motioned for her to come in and she did. They walked over and sat on the bed.

“We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” she asked.  
  
“I suppose we are” Cas replied.  


“I’m so nervous, Cas…we’re about to drag so many people in with us. What if we can’t pull it off?”

“We can. And we will. We have to. These people know the risks, they’re willing to fight. This isn’t just for us, Charlie, it’s for everyone.”   


“Tomorrow could potentially be the best or worst day of my entire life.”

“Mine too…” he said, placing his hand on his worried friend’s. “But, if it goes well, I’m getting Dean, and you’re getting Jo back tomorrow.”  


Charlie smiled. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening. It’s been so long since I’ve heard her voice.”   
  
“Are you excited?”

“Excited and terrified,” she said with a laugh.  
  
“You deserve this, Charlie. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for being there for me and Dean. Before you and Jo, I never knew that…two people, two…women, two men…could even be together. I never understood my lack of affections for women, why I could never return their feelings. I don’t think Dean even knew he was attracted to men until he met me.”  
  
“Well, I could always tell. Plus he’d asked me about it before, and I definitely supported him through his confusion. He had no idea you could be attracted to both. There were other bandits in the past who had some chemistry with Dean, but, nothing compared to what you two have.”  
  
“Well, there was Lisa.”  
  
“Right, Lisa. She and he had something special too, but, again, nothing compared to what you and he have now. I’ve never seen Dean so enamored.”  
  
Cas smirked. “Well, thank you.”  
  
Charlie smiled and nodded.  
  
“We can do this, Charlie. We’re going to save them, both of them. We’re going to avenge Sam, Bobby, Meg, and everyone else they took from us. We’re going to save Dean, wake up Jo, then we’re going to come home, and live out the rest of our days happily thieving like old times.”  
  
“Alright. Let’s do it then,” she said confidently nodding.  
  
“Tomorrow, The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown Falls.”  
  
When Cas woke up the next morning, several townspeople had already begun to arrive. He welcomed them to their home, and Ellen whipped up some food for the travelers. By mid day, more than 500 people had shown up. The cave was rather crowded. It wasn’t meant to hold this many people, so some had to stand outside. The crowds had brought their own weapons, their own armor, mostly made of leather. They’d even brought their own horses, bringing some extras for other people. Cas stood there outside of his room, Charlie next to him.  
  
“So this is what revolution looks like,” Charlie said.

“These people…they’re all so brave. Can we truly lead them into victory? Even with what I would estimate to be over 500 people, we’re still rather outnumbered. Not by much, but, we are,” Cas said insecurely.

“Cas, this is it. This is what we’ve been waiting for. What we’ve been training for. We can’t turn back now,” Charlie reminded him.

“I know. It’s just been so long since I’ve led a group even close to this large,” Cas said as he observed the people. He always enjoyed people watching. He found humanity fascinating. He loved that people all had their own stories, their own dreams, their own lives. Now Cas was in control of what happened to them next, and it frightened him. His first attempt to infiltrate the kingdom went horribly. Why should this be different?  


“Do it for Dean, Cas. Do it for Sam. For Bobby, for Jo, for everyone in this room that has lost their loved ones to these monsters. Do if for the people,” she said, touching his arm. 

Suddenly there was a stir in the crowd, some flashes of white smoke popped up, and out from them came Billie and her large group of witch hunters. The crowd began to panic as they weren’t sure what to make of it.  


“It’s alright, everyone. She’s here to help us,” Cas said, attempting to comfort the crowd. 

Billie walked up to Cas. She and a few of her hunters were carrying armor that looked like his old set.  
  
“We can’t have you leading us without any protection, Cas. I believe you’re familiar with it?” she said, walking up to Cas, her hunters and her throwing the bagged armor at his feet.

“This looks exactly like my old armor,” he said confusedly picking some of it up, “how did you…”

“Don’t worry about it. We have our ways” she said. “There’s something I didn’t tell you about my group. A few of them are ex-witches. White witches, we call them.”

“Wow, what? How can we trust them?” Charlie said, getting defensive.

“You trust them because I do. They were from a different coven, but now they’re with me. They can be trusted,” she said hardly looking at Charlie. “They’re going to help us by giving us some protection spells that will make us immune to most of Rowena’s magic. We can’t say for certain that it will work against it all. She’s far more powerful than what we have, but it will protect us from many of her spells. My team and I will hand out some of our specialized weapons to those who feel brave enough to use them. They’re specifically for killing witches. I won’t get into how, because frankly we don’t have enough time. As luck would have it, The Golden Kingdom has initiated war with The Kingdom of the Twisted Crown. They attacked earlier today, so their defenses are crippled. There’s a massive hole in one of their walls, and they haven’t begun to rebuild. We need to leave as soon as possible. We’ll prep everyone on the way.”

“Thank you, Billie. Truly. Without you, we’d be powerless,” Cas said.

Billie nodded, and went back to her group. 

Charlie looked at Cas, who still seemed relatively apprehensive. She placed her hand on his shoulder.  
  
“This is it, Cas. We have to go now. Ready?”

Cas looked back at Charlie with determination on his face.  
  
“Yes.”   
  
Cas walked into his room, and put his armor on. It felt strange. He hadn’t worn armor in years. It used to feel like a second skin to him, and now, it felt foreign. He looked around the room one final time, and saw on the dresser his old lucky blue stone necklace. The necklace that Dean stole the first time they met. He walked over to it and picked it up.

“What wonderful trouble you’ve caused me,” he said, looking at it. It was dark blue, the crystals inside of it made it sparkle and dance in the torchlight. He placed it around his neck, took a breath, and headed out the door. 

Cas walked into the cave, and walked through the crowd up to the front where one of the villagers had save him a horse. It was a beautiful white color. Cas hopped on, and sat there in front of his army. Billie, Charlie, Ellen, Jess, and Claire were in the front with him.  
  
“Brothers and sisters!” he said loudly. The crowd quieted, all looking to Cas for guidance. Cas’ heart dropped a little, but he thought of Dean. He thought of how Dean would lead, how Dean needed Cas to, and he gathered up his strength. “Today, we go to battle for the ones we love. We fight for the freedom of millions, for the vengeance of those lost to us. Today, we stand together and tell those witches and horrible, twisted knights that we refuse to be pushed around any longer. We refuse to be pawns in their monstrous games. We refuse to be cattle. We are human beings, and we are finished being treated as lesser than. Some of us will not make it, but we fight for a noble cause. We fight for our fellow man. We fight for freedom!” Cas shouted as he thrust his sword into the air. The crowd screamed out, cheering, ready to battle. Cas looked over at Charlie who was beaming with pride. She nodded, and they turned their horses around, heading out of the cave to go off to war. Cas touched his necklace, looked up at the twilight sky, and prayed.


	13. Chapter 13

As they arrived at the gates of The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown, Cas couldn’t help but get a bit anxious. The usual guards weren’t on duty, most likely attending to the massive hole in the wall on the east side of the kingdom. The army grew quiet. No one knew what to do next. Cas looked at Charlie, whose face was filled with both fear and determination. This was it. The second Cas gives the signal, there’s no turning back. He either saves Dean, and frees the land from the coven, or dies in battle, never to see Dean’s face again. There was no turning back. 

Cas readied himself, his pulse racing, and let out a war cry, thrusting his sword into the air. The army behind him yelled as well, they led their troops over to the east side, and began the attack. They saw the hole in the wall, it was massive. The Golden Kingdom truly did a number on their defenses. The army’s horses leapt over the rubble, over the base of the used-to-be wall, and into the town. They had the advantage of surprise, and utilized it. They took down as many sentry knights as they could, and within a few seconds, there was absolute chaos. Civilians of the kingdom were scrambling about, but Cas’ army wasn’t there for them; they were stuck there and were just as oppressed as everyone else. Suddenly, clouds of black smoke appeared all around the kingdom, and the war had begun. Knights and witches alike popped out, and began to fight back. Swords clashed, arrows flew, knights and soldiers were falling. The witches were shocked to find their spells having no effect, and were quickly killed. The knights put up a good fight, however. Cas’ horse was bolting to the castle. Cas was truly determined not to stop until he got to it. Cas was racing through fighting villagers and knights, dodging flaming arrows and spells. Charlie, Billie, and Jess were close behind him. The plan was for them to get to the castle, fight Rowena, and save Dean, while Ellen and Kevin stayed back with everyone else to fight. 

Cas’ horse leapt over broken house and dead body alike. The air was full of so much noise, yet Cas could hardly hear it. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the tall and sharp black castle. Suddenly, Cas was knocked off of his horse. He’d been tackled by one of the knights who had seen Cas coming. Cas lay there a moment, confused and gasping for air. The knight quickly took out his sword and jolted it towards Cas, barely missing him. Cas rolled out of the way and got up, brandishing his sword. The two lunged at each other, their swords clashing, sparks flying. Cas swung at the broken piece of armor the knight had on his leg, where he could see some exposed flesh. It quickly cut, blood spurting out, the knight cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Cas quickly stomped his foot on the knights chest, plunging his sword into his torso. Charlie came back quickly after fighting off a knight who had attacked her as well.  
  
“Cas! You okay?!” she screamed out through the noise of the war.  
  
Cas nodded and got back on his horse, and they continued to the castle. As they arrived at the castle drawbridge, a few knights who hadn’t rushed off to battle in the streets met them, weapons at the ready. The bandits leapt from their horses, rolling to their feet. Billie took a few bottles out of her bag and tossed them at the knights, who were then completely frozen as a result. Jess ran up to them, stabbing them both with her two blades. Charlie began fighting off a larger knight, saving Jess from the arrow that was about to go through her back. Cas and Billie fought off a few more knights, swords clashing, spells flying. Once the knights outside were defeated, they made their way inside. Cas opened the large door. It creaked open and echoed throughout the stone halls. There seemed to be no one inside waiting to attack.

“Where the hell are they?!” Jess said. 

“Shh! Stay close. Charlie, Billie, you watch our backs,” Cas commanded quietly.

They walked in formation, their steps echoing. They walked through the main hall, into one of the corridors, and made their way to the prison cells. Cas slowly opened the door, bracing himself for an attack, and found that every single cell had been emptied. Dean was nowhere to be found. He half expected this, however, since Rowena would no doubt be keeping him close by. The four soldiers made their way out of the room and began their walk to the throne room. Dead bodies of knights, Twisted and Highest Order, lay against the bloodstained walls.  
  
“This must have been some battle,” Cas thought out loud.

“Maybe your old friends did our job for us?” Charlie said.

“No. She’s alive, I can feel it,” Billie said, looking disgusted.  
  
The group turned the corner and saw the two large throne room doors completely shut. From the other side, they saw three knights walking towards them.  
  
“Well, well. The prodigal son returns,” Lucifer said mockingly. 

“So, you’re still alive,” Cas said. 

“I can’t die, Castiel. Not possible,” Lucifer replied.

“We’ll see about that,” Charlie said, readying her crossbow.  
  
Lucifer and the other two knights readied themselves and the battle began. Billie attempted to freeze them, to no avail. Jess fought off the female knight, her dual blades flying and clashing with the knight’s single dark sword. Charlie decided the crossbow wasn’t the best choice for this battle and ultimately dropped it, picking up her sword instead. Lucifer was hell-bent on destroying Cas, but Charlie wouldn’t get out of the way. Charlie fought Lucifer back. She screamed, “Cas, go! Dean’s probably in there! Go save him! We can handle this!” Cas looked apprehensively at her.

“What?!” he yelled.  
  
“Go!” she shouted, swinging her blade at Lucifer.

Cas nodded and did so. He opened up the large door and slammed it behind him. He entered the throne room and saw Sam’s dead body still laying there, decaying. Rowena was missing, but chained to a post in the middle of the room was Dean.  
  
“Dean!” Cas yelled, his heart dropped. Dean’s face was bruised, beaten, and he could hardly even move his head. Cas ran to Dean, and went to comfort and free him, when suddenly his hands fell right through him and hit the floor. Dean vanished. A woman’s laugh echoed throughout the throne room. A burst of smoke, and there was Rowena sitting on the throne, the blood stained crown still firmly on her head.  
  
“You know, I didn’t think you’d fall for it twice, but you certainly proved to me that you’re much dumber than you look,” she said condescendingly. 

“Where’s Dean?!” Cas shouted, brow furrowing, face filling with rage. He drew his sword.

“You know, I heard rumors that someone was getting a ragtag army of villagers together to attack me, but I didn’t actually believe you’d be stupid enough to follow through with it. Especially after what happened last time,” she said motioning to Sam’s body.  
  
Cas screamed out, silencing the witch. “Don’t make me ask again, hag!” he said sneering.  
  
Rowena’s face dropped. “Hag? Really, Castiel, I thought you were above name calling. And I thought you’d come all this way just to see _me._ ”

“Where is he?!” Cas shouted, his patience had completely run dry.

“Oh you’re no fun. Fine. Dean, could you come out here please, dear,” she shouted towards a door on the right side of the room. 

The door quickly opened- it was Dean. He was clad head to toe in the signature black armor of the Twisted Knights. His face was expressionless.  
  
“Yes, my Queen?” his voice said emotionless.  
  
“Dean?” Cas shouted out. “Dean, I’m here to save you, let’s leave this place!” Cas pleaded. 

Dean’s head turned, his eyes met Cas’. His eyes were different, they weren’t as vibrant and green anymore, they were pale and lifeless. It looked as though blood had stained the area around them.  
  
“What has she done to you…” Cas said, feeling his heart beginning to break. 

“Dean, I believe this man means to kill me. Be a dear and dispose of him for me,” she ordered. 

“With pleasure, your Majesty” Dean said, unsheathing his sword, looking back at Cas.  
  
“Dean!?” Cas said heartbrokenly.

Dean began lunging at Cas, Cas dodged both times. 

“Dean, stop! Stop this, it’s me!” Cas said running away from Dean, who was trailing closely behind with rage on his face. Cas ran out of a door that lead to a stairway.

The three women entered the throne room. They’d defeated the three knights outside. 

“Well there’s a surprise,” Rowena said, “I thought the fairy fluttered in here all by himself.”

“Not quite, bitch,” Charlie said, readying her sword.  
  
“Billie,” Rowena said with a slight wave, still seated on her throne.

“Witch,” Billie replied, holding her crossbow up.

Jess looked down and saw Sam’s body on the floor, she ran to him.  
  
“Sam?! Sammy!?” she cried out, putting her hands on his lifeless face, tears falling from hers.  
  
Rowena couldn’t contain her laughter any longer, and began to cackle at the heartbroken woman.

“Oh, sweetie, he wasn’t heroic. He died in a shameful defeat. You should’ve seen the look on his face when he realized that he’d lost. I did you a favor.”  
  
Jess lost control, she stood up, cried out, and threw one of her blades at Rowena, who appeared on the other side of the room in a puff of smoke, dodging the blade.  
  
“You’ll have to do better than that, sweetheart. I’m the head of the coven. Now, let’s get this over with,” she said, her hands bursting into flames. 

Cas had been running so long he thought he was about to collapse. He had ran up countless flights of stairs, and was gasping for air. He ran down the hallway to the right, and opened a nearby door, hiding inside. Cas looked through the cracks of the door, and saw Dean pass by.  
  
“Aw, Castiel, you’re hiding?” Dean said condescendingly. “That’s no fun. But, then again, you were never any fun anyway. God, living with you was like living with a stone wall. With how the sex was, I might as well have been.” Dean smashed open a door to another room, screaming in frustration that he hadn’t found Cas. “Oh, well, we had some good times together, right? There was the time you got my house burned down! Oh, wait, how about when you got my brother murdered? Bobby? Come to think of it, remember that time you asked me if I blamed you for everything that’d happened? I told you I didn’t. I was lying, Cas. I blame you for it all.” The door nearest Cas was smashed open, Dean swung his sword at the wall.  
  
Cas tried to remind himself this wasn’t Dean speaking. Clearly Rowena had put him under a spell. Even so, Cas couldn’t keep himself from tearing up. It was Dean, but it wasn’t. His Dean wasn’t there anymore. Dean walked in front of the door Cas was behind.  
  
“You know it’s your fault that I’m like this. It’s your fault that Sam’s dead. It’s your fault I lost my home. It’s your fault that I’m utterly miserable. You have brought _nothing_ but pain and unhappiness to my life, Castiel. I say I love you, but I don’t. How could I? Who could love _you_? You’re a murderer. You mean absolutely nothing to me,” he said as he smashed in the door across the way from Cas’. Dean stopped, and slowly turned around, he’d smashed open every door but the one Cas was in. He smirked viciously, the look making Cas’ blood run cold.  
  
Tears fell from Cas’ face, Dean leaned back to strike down the door, and as he did so, Cas slammed the door back open, knocking Dean to the ground.  
  
“I’m sorry, Dean!” Cas yelled as he ran back down the stairs.   
  
Dean was quickly back on his feet, and resumed his pursuit.

In the throne room, the girls were still in heated battle with Rowena. She was screaming out a whole manner of spells, most of which had no effect.  
  
“What the hell is happening?!” she screamed out impatiently as she moved herself from place to place in the room. 

“You think we didn’t come prepared, sweetheart?” Billie screamed out. 

Charlie began to run up to Rowena. Suddenly, Rowena thrust her hands out, shouting something incoherently, and Charlie flew back to the opposite end of the room into Jess, smashing her head against the wall. Jess sat up.

“Charlie?!” Jess screamed, shaking her. She wasn’t dead but she was definitely unconscious. Jess got up and ran to Billie’s side, ready to continue fighting.  
  
“Guess you’re not immune to _all_ my spells,” Rowena said as she picked Jess up with a her magic, and forced her against the wall. Billie, however, remained unmoved. 

“Why the bloody hell isn’t this working on you?!” Rowena shouted.

“Please. I’m much stronger than they are,” Billie said, running forward to Rowena, who began to run away.   
  
Cas burst through the door to the throne room, still running from Dean.  
  
Billie and Rowena were still fighting. They’d both been throwing spells. Rowena deflecting Billie’s arrows, setting them ablaze and throwing them back at her. Billie dodged most of them, but had been singed a few times. Billie finally pulled out her sword, and Rowena picked up a sword from one of the fallen knights she was near.

Dean sprinted into the room, covered in sweat. His face red with rage. His eyes darted around, until he finally noticed that Cas was hiding behind a pillar. 

“Found you,” Dean said, running toward it. 

Cas moved just in time to miss Dean’s sword slamming through the pillar with such force that it made a clean cut all the way through. Cas tried to run again, but tripped over the corpse of a knight. He flipped to his back and began crawling backwards away from Dean, who was walking up to Cas with his sword out, smirking. Billie and Rowena continued their feud in the background. Cas had been backed into a corner- there was nowhere for him to run. He looked around, and quickly picked up a shield from another corpse, holding it in front of him. He refused to fight Dean. Dean started slamming his sword against the shield. Sparks were flying. Dean laughed as Cas cried out.  
  
“Dean, stop, please. I know this isn’t you!” Cas begged.

“Oh, this is me, Castiel,” Dean swung his sword. “This is what I’ve turned into because of you!” He struck again. “This will always be me!” Another time. “And you have nobody else to blame but yourself!” He stomped the shield into Cas’ stomach, knocking the wind out of Cas. 

Billie was losing her battle with Rowena. She was pulling out spells that even Billie couldn’t have prepared for. The two women clashed swords, and Rowena threw Billie on her back. She used a spell and forced two stones from the wall to pin Billie’s hands down against the floor, crushing them. Billie screamed out in pain. Rowena walked over and stood above her.  
  
“You know what’s pitiful? You actually thought you were going to win,” Rowena said with a smirk.  
  
Dean kicked the shield away from Cas, who had dropped it.  
  
“Dean. Please. Stop,” Cas said breathlessly, leaned in the corner. 

Dean swung one leg over Cas’ body, mounting him. He grabbed Cas’ chest plate and pulled him closer to him from the wall, gazing into his eyes with pure hatred. “The moment you walked into my life, I was damned.”

Cas’ tears mixed with the blood on his face. “You don’t…you don’t mean that Dean…this isn’t you.”  
  
Dean slammed Cas back, nearly knocking him unconscious, blood spilling from Cas’ forehead onto his face. Dean grabbed Cas back up by his hair, Cas winced in pain.  
  
“I never should have come back for you. I should have just let you die.”  
  
“Dean…please…” Cas pleaded wearily through his tears.  
  
Dean brought his sword up. Cas caught it with his hands, his gloves temporarily protecting them from being cut. Dean stared into Cas’ eyes and sneered as he began to forcefully push the blade closer to Cas’ neck. Cas was trying to resist but it kept getting closer.   
  
“Before you die, Castiel, I want you to know something. I never meant it when I said I loved you. I only did it because I felt bad for you and didn’t have the heart to tell you otherwise. But I do now. I want the last thing you ever hear to be the sound of me telling you how much I loathe you”

Dean’s words cut into Cas’ heart  
  
Rowena stood there, reveling in her victory, laughing in Billie’s face.  
  
“Well, this has been quite entertaining. You put up a good fight, I’ll give you that. But, I’m going to kill you now, then I’m going to kill your friends, and then I’m going to take my kingdom back. You failed, Billie. How does that make you feel?”  
  
“Hey, bitch!” a voice said from behind Rowena. She darted around quickly.  
  
“This is for Jo,” Charlie said, quickly and forcing her sword through Rowena’s heart. Rowena stared back at Charlie, her jaw dropped, she was stunned. She looked down at the blade piercing her body, as blood began to poor out of her mouth. She started to swing her sword back, but Charlie kicked her back. Rowena fell to the ground motionless, the red of her hair blending with the blood pouring from her body. The Twisted Crown fell off her head, and would never be worn by another soul again.

Dean’s sword began to touch Cas’ skin, Cas was losing his strength with every word that Dean spoke.  
  
“I love you, Dean…I’m sorry…I couldn’t save you…” Cas said, his arms failing him. He couldn’t hold the blade back any longer. Suddenly, Dean stopped pushing against it. The rage disappeared from his face, his eyes were no longer pale and absent. He slowly looked down at the blade, then looked back at Cas. His eyes scanned Cas’ face, and he blinked a few times. His brow furrowed, he threw his blade aside.  
  
“C…Cas?” he said softly and confusedly, as he grabbed Cas’ face, his eyes filling with tears.  
  
Cas suddenly threw his arms around Dean, pulling himself as close to him as he possibly could. Cas began sobbing, Dean held Cas in his arms.  
  
“Hello, Dean,” Cas said, a smile firmly planted on his face.  
  
Cas pulled back, and kissed Dean passionately.  
  
“You saved me. But, what…what happened, Cas. Did I do this to you?” Dean asked touching a scratch on Cas’ face. 

“It wasn’t you, Dean. It wasn’t you,” Cas said, pulling Dean back into his embrace. 

Charlie and Jess pushed the stones off of Billie’s hands and helped her up. Cas and Dean stood up. Dean nearly fell over, but Cas put his arm under Dean’s and around his back for support. Dean put his arm over Cas’ shoulders, holding onto him. The two men walked over to the women.

“What happened? Who killed her?” Cas asked, looking at the lifeless witch on the floor.

“Charlie did it. Charlie ended this.” Jess said, hugging Charlie.  


“It’s over, then?” Dean asked.

Billie nodded. “Finally.”

The group of bandits walked out of the throne room, over to the front of the castle to a large window that revealed the entire kingdom. The sound of cheering people rang out through the kingdom. The knights had been defeated. The sun was beginning to rise. Cas looked over to Charlie and Jess, the two held each other, their faces lit up. Billie actually looked as though she had tears in her eyes. The coven had been cut off at the source. The land was rid of the witches. Cas looked up at Dean, the sunrise painted beautifully on his face. Cas’ eyes filled with tears, Dean’s eyes shone in the sunlight. _God, those eyes._  
  
They did it. The Kingdom of the Twisted Crown had fallen. Justice had been dealt.  
  
Freedom was theirs at last.  
  
Dean looked over at Charlie.  
  
“Hey, kiddo. You know what this means right?”

Charlie looked confused, she looked at Cas who was grinning from cheek to cheek at Dean. He looked at Charlie and gave her a look that meant “Oh, come on . ”

All at once, Charlie’s confusion faded, her eyes got wide, her jaw dropped.  
  
“Jo!”


	14. Chapter 14

The group of rebels had nearly returned to the cave. The entire time, Charlie would not stop talking about Jo. It took everything in her not to sprint ahead of them all. Most of the villagers who had joined them all went their own ways, except for a small group of them, who offered to help bring Sam’s body along for them so they could give him a proper burial. Billie and her witch hunters parted ways with the group as well.  
  
“More witches to kill, more people to save” Billie said.

Cas admired that, however, he knew his time of heroism was over. All he wanted to do was get home, lay with Dean, and fall quickly asleep.  
  
“Do you think she’s going to remember me?” Charlie asked for the twentieth time.

“Charlie, if you don’t stop asking us that, you won’t be there to find out,” the irritated Jess said.  
  
“I’m sorry, I know, I know, I’m talking a lot, and I’m asking a lot of questions. But, I mean, come on guys, Jo’s awake! We don’t know what the spell might have done to her!” she said, looking both enthused and terrified. 

“We know you’re excited, kiddo. I think we’re all just a little worn out from everything that’s happened,” Dean said, patting her on the shoulder. 

Dean and Cas were walking hand in hand. They’d been absolutely inseparable since Dean was saved. There wasn’t a moment that had gone by that they weren’t touching. Cas looked over to his right where Claire was walking alongside him.  
  
“Are you doing alright, Claire?” Cas asked.

“That was intense,” she said back.  
  
“From what Ellen tells me, you fought very bravely. You saved many people’s lives,” Cas said.

“I’ll be okay. I think I honestly just need some sleep,” she said with a smile.

“He would be very proud of you, Claire. They both would,” Cas said, putting his hand on her back.

Claire choked up a bit. “Thanks Cas.”   


Cas nodded and gave her a smile.

“Oh, my God. Wow. Okay this is it. This is it,” Charlie said as they neared the cave. She couldn't hold herself back any longer, and in an instant began sprinting to the cave entrance. Dean let out a small laugh. He stopped walking, stopping Cas in his tracks as well.  
  
“You guys go on ahead, Cas and I are gonna wait out here a moment,” Dean told the group.  
  
“Dean, what? I want to be there when Charlie sees Jo again!” Cas said impatiently.

Dean pressed Cas up against the wall of the mountain, firmly placing his lips on Cas’. Cas’ arms wrapped around Dean’s back, pulling him closer. They pulled away, their faces inches apart, eyes locked on one another’s.

“Cas, I don’t even know how to put into words how grateful I am for you. I don’t know what I did, I don’t know what I said, but I hope you know I didn’t mean a single word of it.”  
  
“I know, Dean. I know you don’t hate me, or blame me,” Cas said with a smile, his eyes scanning down to Dean’s lips.

“You saved me, Cas.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Cas joked, kissing Dean’s neck.

“No, Cas. Listen,” Dean said pulling away, grabbing Cas’ hands. “You saved me. You didn’t just save me from Rowena, or the curse. You saved me from myself. From spending the rest of my life alone. From my unhappiness. Cas, you’ve impacted my life in so many ways, I’ve actually lost count.”

Cas smiled back at Dean. Thank God, he thought, that the curse hadn’t effected Dean in the long run. He came out completely the same.

“I love you, Cas. With every fiber of my being, and with every single breath I take, I love you,” Dean said, hugging Cas tightly.

“I love you too, Dean.”

“Then let’s not lose each other. Ever again. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Cas.”   


“And I with you, Dean.”

Dean teared up and smiled. “You do?”

“Of course I do.”

“Hey, lovebirds,” Jess yelled from up ahead.

Dean rolled his eyes, quickly wiping them. “What, Jess?” he said, embarrassed that she caught him crying.

“Whenever you’re finished, we’ve got a situation,” she said.

Cas shrugged, and they followed Jess to the front of the cave where Charlie was sitting, hugging her legs to her body. Cas walked up to Charlie slowly.  
  
“Charlie, what’s going on?” he asked, sitting beside her.

“I can’t do it, Cas. It’s been too long. What if the spell changed her? What if she doesn’t know who I am? I couldn’t handle that, Cas.”

“Charlie,” Cas said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “You have been waiting for this moment for years now. You just single handedly brought her back. Life is full of what ifs. It’s full of risks and chances. But that’s what makes life so worth living. It’s taking those risks, those chances, and learning more and more about yourself from the results. Trying to find the ‘vandal’ Dean Winchester was a risk, and look where I am now. Look what that chance turned into. I know, you’re scared, and you’re probably going through every single worst-case scenario in your head. But at the end of the day, who knows if she’ll be the same or not? You’ll never know until you face down that fear, and take it on full force. You’ve got this, Charlie. If anything proved that to me, it was when you killed Rowena. You love Jo, and I know she loves you too. Trust in that, and know that no matter what, as you once said to me, we’re all here for you. You’re not alone in this.”

Charlie wiped the tears from her eyes. “Okay, then. Let’s do this,” she said standing up.

Dean offered his hand to Cas, helping him up.

“It’s all you, kiddo,” Dean said, offering Charlie to lead. 

Charlie nodded. She walked into the cave slowly, holding Ellen’s hand. She looked around, but didn’t see Jo. She walked over to her bedroom door, and turned around. She looked at Cas, who was wrapped in Dean’s arms. Cas nodded at her. She turned back around, and opened the door. Ellen and Charlie entered the room, Jo was still sleeping. Dean and Cas walked over to the threshold, and watched what happened next. Ellen stood at the foot of the bed and Charlie went over and sat down next to Jo. Charlie looked at Ellen. “Why is she still asleep? Why didn’t it work?!” Charlie asked, beginning to panic.  
  
“Charlie” Ellen said, trying to calm her down.  
  
“No, Ellen, this is awful. I did everything I could and she’s still sleeping!” Charlie was practically screaming at this point.

“Charlie!” Ellen said, quickly pointing to Jo.

Charlie looked down to see Jo’s eyes had opened and were fixed on her, Jo’s face lit up with a smile.

“Charlie?” Jo said.

“Jo!” Charlie grabbed her face and pulled her into a deep kiss.

Ellen began to cry. “My girl. My girl!”

Dean looked down at Cas, who had a single tear in his eye. He wiped it for him, and pulled him in closer.  
  
Jo looked up and saw the two men embracing. “Oh, Lord, I missed a lot,” she said to Charlie. Everyone in the room laughed.

Dean and Cas decided to leave the girls alone, they were sure they had a lot to catch up on. They went to their room, closing the door behind them. Dean pushed Cas up against the door, kissing him. He helped Cas out of his armor, which took a little longer than anticipated. After Cas was free from it, Dean pulled him in, kissing him even harder. Dean took his clothes off, and the two fell onto the bed, Dean on top of Cas. They had every intention of making love on the spot, but a few seconds after they were under the covers, Dean stopped moving, and fell asleep on top of Cas. Cas looked up, laughed to himself for a moment, and kissed the side of Dean’s head. He put his hand on the back of Dean’s neck, stroking his hair, listening to the sound of his heavy breathing. Dean was home. Dean was safe. They were together again. Cas put his other hand on Dean’s back, and began lightly rubbing it. He missed this. He missed Dean’s scent, the softness of his skin, the freckles only he knew about, the way their bodies fit together perfectly. Cas was finally happy. He closed his eyes, and gently drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Cas woke up next to Dean, who was still sleeping soundly. He stared at him, loving the way his face was so peaceful when he was sleeping. Like he hadn’t just endured weeks of physical and psychological torment. Cas couldn’t resist it, and kissed Dean’s face. Dean lightly kissed Cas back, and his eyes opening slowly. 

“Well, good morning, beautiful,” Dean said, putting his hand on Cas’ cheek, lazily smiling at him.

“Hi there,” Cas said. 

“You wanna get up?” Dean slurred, his eyes shutting softly.

“We don’t have to,” Cas said with a slight laugh.

Dean mumbled incoherently and slowly drifted back to sleep. Cas was completely content to simply just lay there and watch Dean. It calmed him. He tried to memorize all the little details of Dean’s face, he never wanted to forget them. He placed his hand on Dean’s warm chest; he could feel his heart beating. Dean’s pulse grew faster, Dean’s breath quicker and sharper. Dean’s back began to sweat. Cas knew Dean was having a nightmare, so he gently shook him.

“Hey, Dean, wake up,” Cas said quietly.

Dean’s breath returned to normal after a few moments of heavy breathing. He opened his eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay, handsome. You’re with me. You’re okay,” Cas said, comforting Dean.

“Let’s get up,” Dean said.

The two men got dressed, which for them was always a task, because they could never quite seem to keep their hands off of each other.  They’d put an article of clothing on, and moments later find themselves making out on the bed again. But, eventually, they’d gotten dressed, and headed out into the cave.

Life had all but seemed to have returned to normal. The looming threat of the coven and the knights had quickly faded. Charlie and Jo were sitting at one of the tables together. Dean and Cas walked up to them.

“Well, good morning you two,” Charlie said with a smile, her hand clasped in Jo’s.

“Jo, it’s nice to see you awake,” Cas said. “We haven’t formally met. My name is Cas,” he said, extending his hand.

Jo got up from the table and gave Cas a hug. “Charlie told me all about you. From what she’s told me, you’re an incredible person. Thank you for looking after her while I couldn’t,” she said.

“Of course, Jo. She and I had to look out for one another. But, for what it’s worth, she definitely doesn’t need looking after. Your girl is a warrior.”

“A little bit,” Charlie said with a giggle.  
  
“Oh, is that so?” Jo said, laughing and kissing Charlie.

Cas joined Dean at the other side of the table, holding his hand.

“So, Dean, I had no idea that you were…like me and Charlie,” Jo said.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m more like you than I am Charlie.”

“Well, duh. I couldn’t forget Lisa,” Jo said. “I can’t believe I’ve been asleep for over two years. So you guys seriously overthrew the Kingdom of the Twisted Crown and solved the witch crisis?”

“Well, that was actually all your girlfriend, your mother, and my Cas. I was, uhm, _incapacitated_ at the time,” Dean said, putting his arm around Cas.

“That’s so incredible. I can’t believe I slept through it all!” Jo said. “Next time there’s a revolution, I want in, okay?”

Charlie laughed, “I think I’m a little revolution-ed out.”

“Likewise,” Cas said with a chuckle.

“How’s my girl doing?” Ellen said as she walked to the table with food she’d been preparing.

“I’m feeling great. I don’t think I’m going to need to sleep for another couple years, though,” Jo said, taking a plate from Ellen.

“Good, because we’re not gonna to let ya,” Ellen joked.

Claire joined the table, sitting next to Cas. They all sat there telling stories, laughing, and eating the food Ellen had made. It was just like old times. Cas was so absolutely full of bliss that he couldn’t contain his smile.

Jess walked out from her room, and motioned to Dean.  
  
“Be right back, handsome,” Dean said, kissing the back of Cas’ head.  
  
He stood up and walked over to her.  
  
“Can we talk in private?” she asked.

“Of course, Jess, what’s going on.”

He followed her into her room. He closed the door behind him while she went and sat on her bed.

“We need to give Sam a proper burial. He’s been left unburied for far too long,” she said.

Dean’s eyes lowered to the floor. He took a moment, then began to nod. “Okay. Yeah. You’re right, we can’t put this off any longer.”

“When should we do it?” she asked.

“Mid-day or night time. He loved both. Your call.”

“Let’s…let’s do it tonight.”

Dean closed his eyes and folded his arms. Damnit, Dean, he thought to himself. Don’t do this right now. He felt a lump forming in the back of his throat. He hadn’t really had time to think about Sam since he got back. Not consciously anyway.

“Dean, it’s okay. You don’t have to be strong around me.”

Dean kept his eyes shut. He hoped, prayed, that he could just swallow the feelings and that they’d disappear. But there was no making this sort of heartache go away. Dean covered his eyes with his hand, and let his emotions out. He slowly slid down the door to the ground. Jess stood up and walked over to him, giving him a hug, she began crying as well.  
“I just can’t believe he’s really gone…” Dean said.  
  
“Neither can I, Dean…neither can I.”

After a few minutes, the two composed themselves, and headed back out into the cave.

Cas could immediately tell that something was wrong, and asked Dean as he sat down at the table again. “What’s going on?”

Dean leaned in and whispered to Cas. “We’re burying Sam tonight.”

Cas just looked up at Dean, whose eyes were still stained red from crying. He placed his other hand on top of Dean’s and placed his head against Dean’s shoulder. 

The day carried out as usual. Dean and Cas went out hunting with Kevin and Claire, getting food for later that night. Charlie and Jo stayed in the cave- most of the time they were in their room. Cas figured he knew what they were up to. The thought made him smile. They deserved it. Cas and Dean hadn’t gotten to do that yet, but, he wasn’t going to push for it- not with what tonight was going to be. As the sun began to set, Cas could see the anxiety and dread coursing through Dean’s veins. He tried to have conversations with Dean, but Dean couldn’t seem to focus on anything. He took Dean into their room, and lay there with him for about an hour. Dean was facing the wall, Cas held him in his arms. Dean didn’t want to say anything, Cas had expected as much. Cas just lay there, comforting Dean, rubbing his head, and kissing the back of his neck.

There was a knock at the door. It was Jess.

“Dean, hey, it’s time.”

“Thank you, Jess,” Cas yelled back.

“C’mon, handsome. Let’s get you dressed” Cas said.

He sat Dean up. Dean’s eyes were still red. He’d been fighting back tears the entire day. Cas got up and went to the dresser on the wall adjacent to the foot of the bed.

“You wanna know how I know so much about the stars? Sam. He…he taught me…” Dean said, beginning to break down.

Cas rushed back over to Dean, setting his formal clothes down on the bed. Cas lightly grabbed Dean’s face.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay, Dean. It’s okay.” Cas wiped some of Dean’s tears away. “Let’s get dressed okay?”

Dean nodded, wiping his face.

The two got dressed. Dean put on a black formal tunic he’d stolen in town. Cas put on his black cloak, and dark shirt.

“Ready?” Cas asked Dean, standing at the door.

Dean looked up at Cas and shook his head. “No. And I never will be,” he said, standing up. He walked to Cas, taking his hand.

The two of them joined the group in the cave. The group walked together carrying torches out of the cave, down the rock path, into the trees, and arrived at the meadow where Jess had told Dean that Sam should rest. The group stood all around the hole that Kevin had dug out. The coffin the villagers let them use was already in the ground- it just needed to be covered. Cas stood there with Dean, fighting back his own tears to be strong for his love. There was no keeping it in for Dean. He wasn’t hysterically crying, but there was a steady stream of tears. Charlie, Jo, and Ellen stood together. Claire and Kevin were side by side as well. They all stood there for a moment, no one really knowing how to start. Jess decided she had enough courage to begin.

“When I met Sam, I was nothing more than a merchant. I sold fruit in a marketplace, went home, and that was my life. I thought I knew what right and wrong was, so, when I caught Sam stealing one of my apples, I was relatively furious. But, there was something in the innocent look he gave me that told me I had to let him go. I figured he wouldn’t be stealing it if he didn’t need it. Two days later, I show up to work, and my stall was already completely full of apples, and under one of them was a note that said, ‘Sorry I stole your apple.’ Sam came by later that day, and after work, he and I walked together under the same stars that are out tonight. We shared personal stories, we laughed. There was always a connection. He would always talk about how much…Dean meant to him. How they had been through so much together, and how he would do anything for him. So, when he told me he was going off to save him, I tried to stay calm, even though the odds were completely stacked against him. I figured that life had already taken so much from us, there was now way it’d take him too. Rowena told me that Sam died in shame, but he didn’t. Sam died a hero, and that’s something that no one will ever be able to take away from him. Sam Winchester was…is a hero. He’s my hero. I love you, Sam.” Jess finished and threw her rose on top of the coffin.

After a few moments of silence, Cas looked up at Dean who had slowly been calming himself down. He felt well enough to speak.

 

“Sammy was…” Dean’s voice cracked, immediately he had to stop talking. He took a moment, Cas grabbed his arm and squeezed tight. “Sammy was the biggest pain the neck little brother there ever was. He was always getting us into trouble…at least that’s what I thought. What I used to think was trouble was actually bravery. He was always standing up for us, for me, or for the poor kid on the street. Lord knows we never had it easy. Whenever life kicked us down, and, believe me, that was….a lot. He was always there to tell me it was going to be okay. Even when we were dirt poor, starving and begging on the streets for money…he still managed to stay optimistic. Sammy was my confidant, he was my best friend, and he was truly a better man…than I could ever hope to be. 

“When I first told him that I realized I had feelings for Cas, you know what he said to me? ‘I appreciate you telling me, but, what? You want a cookie?’ He never once made me feel like the way I felt was wrong. He was so damn smart, too. He used to tell me that someday he was going to get enough money to get a proper education. Not that the lack of money ever stopped him, he’d just go to libraries and take the books he wanted to read. He always wanted to make a better life for himself. It was my job to make sure that he could…but, I failed him. And I’ll spend the rest of my life kicking myself for it. Sammy was kind, giving, sentimental, and stocked full of potential. He died…doing something he believed in. I know he’s somewhere else, living it up with mom and dad. We could all stand here and say the different ways that Sam has impacted our lives, but the bottom line of it is: Sam was a one of a kind, and I…will always miss him. I love you, Sammy. Thank you for always having my back. Thank you for always trying to make sure I never went to bed unhappy. I’m sorry I that I wasn’t there to save you.” Dean threw his rose on top of the coffin as well.

Cas could tell that Dean was barely holding on, and that he was seconds away from breaking down. So, he tossed his rose onto the coffin with a simple, “goodbye, Sam” and returned to Dean. One by one they all tossed their roses, then, when he was certain everyone was done, Kevin began filling the grave in. Everyone had begun to walk back to the cave, and after a few moments, it was only Dean and Cas standing there. Even after Kevin had finished and went back, Dean still didn’t want to move. The wind started to pick up a little.

“Dean, baby, it’s starting to rain. Let’s go back home,” Cas said, putting his hood up.

“I can’t leave him, Cas. I can’t just leave him behind and alone. What if he needs me?”

“Dean, you’ve done everything you can. There’s nothing left to do.”

“I don’t know how to live without him, Cas. He and I have been together through so much…how do I just…move on?”

“You can’t, Dean. You can’t just move on. I’m starting to realize that pain like this is going to stick with you for probably the rest of your life. But it’ll lessen with time.”

“I don’t want to let go. Sammy was the only family I had left. I don’t want to-” Dean broke down, falling to his knees, his hands placed firmly on the fresh grave. The rain began to poor heavily. Cas bent down to comfort Dean.

“We have to go, Dean,” Cas said, fighting back tears.

“I can’t! I can’t leave him!” Dean shouted out.

“He’s not here anymore, Dean. Sam’s gone.” Cas knelt beside Dean, his hand on Dean’s back. “C’mon, Dean. We need to go home.”

Dean looked up, his face was completely drenched from the rain and tears. Dean nodded, and Cas helped him up. Cas took off his cloak and placed it over Dean. The two walked together slowly back to the cave. When they got back, Dean didn’t look at a single soul. He just walked back into their room, and shut the door. Cas followed behind him, gave Jess a quick hug and apologized again. He went into their room, and saw Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, covered in water. He looked up slowly at Cas, his hair still dripping. 

“You want to get dry?” Cas asked.

Dean nodded slightly, looking at the ground.

Cas dried Dean off, got him into some fresh clothes, and lay down next to him in bed. He held Dean in his arms, Dean was facing Cas, his head nuzzled under Cas’ chin. Cas kept Dean gently in his arms, rubbing his back, keeping his own emotions at bay to be there for Dean. He tried to calm Dean down, but every so often he’d feel Dean’s body jerk forward, and Dean would be crying again. Eventually, the crying stopped, and Dean finally fell asleep. Cas lay there, and tears came down from his eyes.

He whispered out loud, “I’m sorry, Sam.”  


* * *

A few weeks after Sam’s funeral, Dean had gone back to being his usual cheery self. He was making jokes, smiling again, he’d even occasionally join in the revelry. Cas realized the thieves hadn’t done any big heists since they’d returned home. He figured everyone was relatively worn out from everything that had happened, so it was typically just the usual food run to the market, or they’d just hunt for their meals.

Kevin had decided to depart from the thieves. He realized that this wasn’t the life he wanted to lead, and that he wanted to find a future elsewhere. Cas and Dean had settled down near the waterfall they first made love at. It was one of their favorite spots to sit and be together. Dean brought a basket and a blanket, and had prepared some chicken and potatoes for them to eat together. 

“You know, Dean,” Cas said in between bites. “One of the things I missed most about you was your cooking.”

“Well, I do what I can,” Dean said through his smile.

They sat there together, enjoying each other’s company, listening to the sound of the rushing waterfall, of the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, and the birds that nested in them. Dean looked pensive.

“What’s troubling you Dean?”

“Nothing!”

Cas looked harder at Dean, raising an eyebrow. Dean rolled his eyes and smirked.

“It’s just, with Kevin gone, our band of thieves is incredibly small now.”

Cas nodded, “That’s very true. At one point, we were over twenty members large. Now we’re at seven. That is, if Jo and Jess want to continue thieving with us.”

Dean stopped himself from taking a bite. “What? Did they say something to you?”

“No, no, Dean. I’m merely just observing that they might need a break. Jess was never really a thief to begin with, and Jo is still recovering from the curse.”

Dean looked flustered. “Well, if Jo wants to leave then Charlie is definitely going with her, and God knows Ellen’s gonna want to go with ‘em too. That’d leave us with four people, three if Jess leaves. Then it’s just us and Claire, and she’s still a kid. She’s good at what she does, but she’s just a kid. I don’t want her living this life if she doesn’t have to. But if everyone leaves, then this band is done, we’ll be on our own, and the legacy that Sam and I tried so hard to create is all just-”   
  
Cas cut Dean off with a kiss. He looked up at Dean, “Hey. It’ll be okay. As long as we have each other, we’ll be okay.”

Dean nodded, smiled, and held Cas’ hand. “You’re right. You’re right.”

The two finished eating, and lay there on the blanket together in silence, looking up at the clouds. 

Dean held Cas in his arms, he looked down at him. “You okay?”

“I’m happy, Dean. I am so incredibly happy. Somehow, against all odds, we made it.”

“Yeah. We did.”

They lay there together for an hour, and then headed back home.

* * *

About a week later, Jess decided it was time for her to leave as well. 

“Do you really have to go?” Claire asked, hugging Jess.

“Yeah, kiddo. I’m sorry. This life was never really for me.”

Dean handed Jess her bag. “It’s definitely gonna be different without you around, Jess. You sure you wanna leave?”

“I know, and it’s hard to go. Trust me, I don’t like this, but I’m living in Sam’s old room. I can’t keep putting myself through the same emotions every night. You understand, right?”

“Of course I do. I just, I’m gonna miss you is all.”

“Aww, Dean, c’mere,” she said, pulling him into a hug. 

She walked to Cas. “Plus, I’ll still visit all the time! I’m only going back to the market. You can come see me whenever you want.” She hugged Cas, and said to him quietly, “take care of him, alright?”

“Always,” Cas whispered back. 

“Alright, is that it? Am I missing something?  


Ellen walked out with another bag. “I believe you are, missy.”

“Oh right, Claire’s stuff.”   


Everyone looked at Claire, who was confusedly looking at Jess.

“What do you mean ‘Claire’s stuff’” Claire asked

“It’s time you put your thieving days behind you, kiddo,” Dean said, holding her bag out for her.

“Wait, what?! What do you mean?”

“You have a shot at a real life, here, Claire. We want you to take it,” Cas said.

“C’mon, Claire. You’ll be with me. You know it’s not going to be boring,” Jess added.

“We just want you to succeed. You deserve it,” Charlie said, holding Jo’s hand.

“Guys, come on, you can’t be serious! I like being a thief! I enjoy this life!” Claire said, looking at everyone. 

“Hey, it’s up to you, but we all want a better life for you. It’s not as simple as it looks, Claire. We have all had to struggle and lose a _lot_ to get to where we are now. Go with Jess, maybe go to school. Make an honest living” Dean said.

Claire thought for a few moments. 

“I…I don’t know,” she said.

“It’s what your parents would have wanted for you,” Dean said. 

Claire ran to Dean and gave him a hug.

“Thank you, Dean. For everything.”

“Of course, mini me,” he said kissing the top of her head.

“Alright, then. We off?” Jess asked. 

“Hold on,” Claire said. She ran to Cas and gave him a hug.  
  
“Go make them proud, Claire,” he said.

“I will, Cas. Promise.”   
  
“Good.”

“ _Now_ are you ready?” Jess said, faking impatience. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s go,” Claire said. 

Ellen, Charlie, Jo, Dean, and Cas watched as Jess and Claire walked down the mountain together, disappearing into the forest. Cas found himself feeling rather emotional. While he and Claire didn’t always see eye to eye, Cas felt very protective over her. He still blamed himself for where she was now, but, he started to realize that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. Sure, her life would have been better with her parents, but she did just fine on her own. He looked over at Dean, who looked quite nervous. 

“Hey,” he said, squeezing Dean’s hand. “It’s going to be okay, remember? As long as we have each other, we’re good, right?”

Dean smiled. “Right.”

The small group walked back inside. Ellen had been preparing some lunch for them. They sat down at a table, sitting in silence.

“It sure is quiet around here now,” Jo said. “Before I got cursed, we lived in a house full of people. Now I wake up in an almost empty cave. It’s much different than it used to be.”

Cas gently grabbed Dean’s thigh under the table. He could feel the fear beginning to well up inside of Dean.

“But, we can bring that back. It shouldn’t be too hard to recruit more people!” Cas said. “I mean, come on. We’re the band of thieves that took down The Kingdom of The Twisted Crown _and_ the coven!”

“Oh, yeah, absolutely. I’m not worried about it. I’m sure we can fill this place back up in no time,” Jo said. 

Cas saw relief wash over Dean’s face. 

“We’re here to stay- promise,” Charlie said with a grin.

“Okay, good,” Dean said with a light laugh, breaking his silence. “You had me worried for a second.”

The rest of the month played out as usual. The colder months had passed and it was now near Summer. The weather was beautiful- there was hardly any rain. Life seemed to be at peace with the looming threat of the Twisted Crown gone. Cas would go visit Claire from time to time and she and Jess would come over for dinner regularly. The thieves would steal what they needed when they needed it, but as for big heists, their numbers were far too small to pull anything off. Cas could see that Dean was getting antsy. They had just finished making love, and were laying in bed together. 

“Dean, are you upset?” Cas asked breathlessly, his heart still pounding.

“What? No, that was amazing,” he said, kissing Cas. 

Cas sat up. “No, not with me. You seem on edge recently. What’s going on?”

“We just…we haven’t gone on any heists in a long time. I get that we can’t, we don’t have enough people. But I mean, I’m starting to get fidgety. I feel like I haven’t left the cave in weeks.”

“Well, you haven’t, Dean,” Cas said rubbing Dean’s hair.

“Son of a bitch. I really haven’t, huh?” Dean realized. 

“I have an idea,” Cas said.

“What would that be?” Dean said, sitting up with a smile, placing his lips on Cas’ again.

“Let’s go see Jess and Claire today. We’ll go get some lunch at the tavern in town. Then, maybe we can go hunting if you want to. After that, let’s go to our favorite spot by the waterfall and just relax together. How does that sound?”

“Sounds damn good to me,” Dean said, getting out of bed. 

They got ready. Charlie, Jo, and Ellen joined them at their lunch with Jess and Claire. Afterwards, they attempted to go hunting but couldn’t find anything worth eating. By nighttime, they had come out to their favorite spot by the waterfall. Dean brought a blanket, a pillow, and some candles. Cas and Dean lay there together underneath the stars. There was no moon out that night, so the stars truly got to shine. They lay there in each other’s arms, listening to the water splashing about, feeling as though they were the only two in the world. Dean lay on his back, Cas rested his head on Dean’s chest, the top of his head nestled under Dean’s chin. Both their eyes were fixed on the radiant stars above.

“How do they name the stars and constellations, Dean?”

“Honestly, Cas, that’s something I don’t know. Since they’re all named after the old Greek and Roman gods, I’d assume that the old stargazers just looked up and named them themselves.”

“Hmm,” Cas said with a nod.

“Wait, hold on…oh no,” Dean said sitting up. 

Cas’ head fell to the blanket. He sat up. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, this isn’t good,” Dean said, focused on the sky with a worried face.

“Dean, what? What’s wrong?” Cas said, beginning to worry.

Dean pointed to the sky. “You see that bright star? Right in between Gemini and Auriga?”   
  
“Yes?”

“Oh that’s bad.”

“ _Dean_ , what?”

“That star doesn’t have a name! How could they have possibly forgotten to name _that_ bright of a star?!”  
  
“Is that so?” Cas said looking at Dean. 

“Yep. Trust me, I know my stars, and that one is nameless,” Dean said, nodding and looking Cas in the eyes. 

Cas looked up. He squinted his eyes a bit. He couldn’t see Dean smiling at him. Dean loved the way Cas would squint his eyes, he thought it was one of the most adorable things he had ever seen.

“You know, we’re basically obligated to name it now,” Dean said, slyly slipping his hand in Cas’.

“I suppose we are, Dean. What do you have in mind?”

“Cas” Dean said, his eyes glued to Cas’. He’d clearly already put some thought into this. 

Cas smiled, and moved his gaze to the ground. “You really think my name’s worthy of a star?”

Dean put his hand under Cas’ chin, gently moving his head up to look him in the eyes. “It’s worthy of the whole damn sky.”

Dean pulled Cas in for a gentle kiss, their lips parting only when Cas couldn’t hold his smile in any longer. 

“Cas it is, then,” Cas said. They lay back down on their sides facing each other and continued kissing for a few more minutes. 

“Dean, I just realized something,” Cas said, placing his hand on Dean’s chest. 

“What’s that?” Dean said, while rubbing Cas’ side.

“2 years ago today, some green eyed bandit stole my necklace.”

“That bastard,” Dean said with a smile, fiddling with the blue stone necklace he had around his neck.

“How far we’ve come, my love,” Cas said, putting his hand on the back of Dean’s shoulder.

“How far we’ve come,” Dean said, leaning his head forward, placing their foreheads together. 

Cas and Dean lay there together, originally intending to go back to the cave, but in that moment, neither of them wanted to move. They didn’t even feel the need to speak. They simply wanted to just be together. They knew how it felt to be apart, and they would never take their time with each other for granted again. They rested there together, their eyes closed, their breathing synced, and slowly, they fell asleep. 

* * *

Cas was woken up by Dean screaming his name. He opened his eyes, his vision was still blurry. He wasn’t really sure what was happening. Dean picked Cas up by the shoulders.

“Cas, we have to run, now! We have to get out of here!” Dean was screaming.

“Dean? What…what’s happening?” Cas said tiredly.

Cas looked around, and saw slight movement in the bushes that surrounded the waterfall. A helmeted Golden Knight walked out, a few others were close behind her. 

They both ran in the opposite direction of the knights. They began running toward the trees, but from there, even more knights began walking towards them. They were practically surrounded. Cas saw a small opening near the side of the rock face that the waterfall stemmed from.  
  
“Dean! Over here, this way!” Cas yelled as he began sprinting towards their last chance at freedom. Dean was trailing behind him, but was caught by one of the knights. He was quickly placed in shackles and was being forced in the opposite direction. Cas was close enough to the exit to run, he turned to see Dean being led away.  
  
“No, Cas! Go!” Dean begged.

“Not without you, Dean. Never again,” Cas said, unsheathing his sword. He was chased by a few of the knights, dodging in between the swings of their swords. He ran up behind the unsuspecting knight who had taken Dean, and plunged his sword through her back. She fell to the ground, her helmet rolling off her head. Cas frantically tried to get Dean free from the shackles as the multitude of knights began to surround them. A few of the knights ripped Cas away from Dean. Cas struggled, cried out, kicked, and clawed, but he was shackled. The knights forced both Cas and Dean to their knees, drawing swords to their throats.  
  
“Stop!” a male knight said forcefully. “The king wants them alive.”  
  
“Raphael?” Cas said.

The knights put their swords away, and forcefully moved Cas and Dean towards a barred carriage. As they were walked to the carriage, Cas looked down in horror to see that the knight he just stabbed was in fact Hannah. They locked the two inside of the carriage, and began their journey back to The Golden Kingdom.


	15. Chapter 15

Cas and Dean were silent. They sat across from each other in the carriage, still disoriented from how quickly they’d been captured. Dean was quietly thinking of ways to get out of the carriage. Cas was mapping out the kingdom in his mind, but it’d been so long since he’d been there, he was having a difficult time. The carriage ride lasted for what seemed to be forever. The horses’ steps began to decelerate and Cas’ blood ran cold. The door opened, and before either or them could move, a knight entered and grabbed Dean, another grabbing Cas. They both had brown cloth bags placed over their heads, and they were led up a flight of stairs, and through a door. Cas knew exactly where they were going- the throne room. Cas recognized the echoing of their steps on the marble floors, the hum of the servants and knights that filled the castle, and finally the loud creak the throne room door made. Cas and Dean were thrown down on their knees, and the bags were ripped off of their heads. The king stood with his back towards them.  
  
“You two have caused me a lot of trouble,” the familiar voice said.

“Gabriel?!” Cas said, utterly shocked.

He turned around. “King Gabriel, actually.”

“How did this happen?!” Cas yelled.

“Silence, thief!” Raphael yelled, kicking Cas’ shoulder. Dean began to stand up, ready to fight him, but was held down forcefully by another knight.

“Raphael, calm yourself,” Gabriel said. “Castiel deserves to know.”

Raphael huffed, and walked back to the wall, crossing his arms.

“Before you left, Castiel, I was a mess. I drank every day, slacked off, basically didn’t take myself seriously. But you did something that changed that. You died. At least, I thought you did. And when I heard that my best friend had been slain, when the last conversation we had was an argument, I knew I had to make a choice: either completely implode and lose myself, or step my game up. So, I chose the latter. I became the best damn knight this kingdom had ever seen. Crime rates went down, witches were found and executed, and overall, the kingdom improved drastically. I took your place, essentially. I tried to do what I thought would make you proud. 

“Apparently, King Charles took notice of this, and promoted me to head of the knights. He knew he was ill, however, he didn’t tell anyone until a month before his death. Amara didn’t want to rule a kingdom. She saw how the stress killed her brother, and she decided to pass on the crown to the next in line. With no heir, the next in line was the head of the knights- me. I was crowned King Gabriel a little more than a year ago. I dedicated my success to you, Castiel. We had a bust made of you, and placed it in the castle, so that all could see the face of the great hero Castiel. You could imagine my surprise when I caught wind that you were possibly still alive. I heard that someone by the name of ‘Cas’ was organizing an army to take down the Kingdom of The Twisted Crown. I figured that if someone was going to try, they’d need some help. So I organized a strike, and we took down their eastern wall. Evidently, this helped you. When I heard the Twisted Crown had fallen, and the witches with it, I knew it had to be you. I wondered what had kept you away from home for so long, why you wouldn’t have come back. Now I know.” Gabriel’s gaze shifted to Dean. “You’ve been thieving with this filth for all this time.”  
  
“Eat me, Gabe,” Dean said. 

“It’s true, I’ve been with Dean all this time. I wanted to come back at first, but, the witches and the knights of the Twisted Crown were after me, so it would’ve been a death sentence to come back home.”   


“You defeated them. Why did you still stay with him and his horrible bandits?!”

“Dean, he…offered me a home. A real home. Something I hadn’t had before. I couldn’t leave him now. It’d be like leaving home.”

“I can not pardon Winchester of his crimes, Castiel. But you’re family. I’m offering you a chance to finally come back to your real home.”

“Your majesty,” Balthazar chimed in from near the throne room door.  
  
“Yes, Sir Balthazar?”

“I think it best that I inform you of a recent loss to our kingdom’s knights.”

“Go on.”

“Hannah, sir. Hannah’s been slain.”

Gabriel’s face sunk. “Who has done this.”

Balthazar shifted his eyes toward Cas.

“You?” Gabriel asked Cas.

“Gabriel, you know I loved Hannah. I didn’t know it was her. She had Dean, I was just trying to-”  
  
“Enough, thief!” Gabriel shouted.

“Gabriel, I’m not just some thief. It’s me. It’s Cas.”

“The Castiel I knew is dead. What you have become, what sinful thing you have turned into is a disgrace to this kingdom,” Gabriel said. “Hear me!” he shouted, “At sundown tomorrow, these thieves are to be publicly beheaded for their crimes against this kingdom. Your king has spoken.”

Cas grew weak. Dean froze up. _How are we going to get out of this one?_ Cas thought to himself. 

“Get these low lives out of my sight,” Gabriel commanded.

Cas and Dean were forced to their feet, taken out of the throne room, down the stairs to the cells, and locked up together. 

Cas sat against the wall, he and Dean had their shackles taken off. He sat there holding his knees to his chest. Dean sat next to him, his feet extended outward. They sat in silence for a few moments. Cas stared at the floor. He had been locked up before, and even so, he didn’t have this horrible feeling of impending doom in his heart. Dean gently placed his hand on Cas’ knee.

“It’s gonna be okay, Cas,” Dean said softly, attempting to comfort himself as well.

“You know it isn’t, Dean,” Cas said.

“We’ve gotten out of similar situations. We can do this,” Dean said, faking confidence. He knew they couldn’t get out of this. There wasn’t enough time. The odds were completely stacked against them, and there was no solution Dean could find.

“Dean, stop. There’s no point in lying to me. I know we’re going to die. There’s nothing we can do to stop this!” Cas yelled, beginning to break down. He fell into Dean’s lap. Dean put his fingers through Cas’ hair, rubbing his head.

“As long as we have each other, we’ll be okay, remember? So, maybe there’s no way out of this. Maybe come tomorrow night, we’ll both be gone. But, somehow, I know we’re not done. I don’t care how long it takes. You and I will find each other again in another life. We will always be together. We will always find each other. I’m sure of it. We’re forever, Cas. No king will stop us, no witch, no twisted crown. We are meant to be together. And we will be. No matter what.”

Dean lay down next to Cas, holding him in his arms. Cas rested his head under Dean’s chin, they lay there together, embracing, knowing this would be the last night they ever would. Dean listened to Cas’ breath, lightly rubbed his back, and tried to take in every single moment that he could. He knew someday he’d go out like this, caught by the law. He could take that. But he never thought it’d be with someone he loved. Knowing that Cas was to die as well, that there was nothing he could do to stop it or save him, that was something that Dean Winchester could not bare. 

“Remember that night we first danced together?” Cas said after a long silence.

“Could never forget it. I almost kissed you that night.”

“That was probably the greatest night of my life, Dean. I hardly knew you, yet, I felt so comfortable with you. I think that was the night I began to fall in love with you.”

“Get up” Dean said.

“What?”

“You heard me”

Cas stood up slowly, confused. Dean joined him. 

“Dean what are you-”  
  
“Shh,” Dean said. He grabbed Cas close to him, placed one had on his hip, the other in his hand. Cas put his hand on Dean’s shoulder, and rested his head on Dean. The two swayed back and forth together, slowly dancing. Cas closed his eyes and he was back on the table with Dean. He imagined they had just met again, that they were surrounded by their friends and family. He smiled. They danced like that for what seemed to be hours. When they had finished, they lay together on the cold stone floor. They talked for hours and hours, reminiscing about their past few years together. They spoke about the first time they kissed, held hands, made love, their first fight when Cas almost got them locked up during a heist. Eventually, they grew too tired to stay awake. Again, Dean held Cas in his arms, trying to keep him warm. He felt Cas begin to cry again.

“We will always have each other. Remember that, Cas,” Dean whispered. 

“Always,” Cas softly said back.

Cas stopped fighting back sleep, and eventually dozed off. When he was certain that Cas had fallen asleep, Dean finally let his emotions out. He touched Cas’ hair, smelling it, trying to take in every single thing he loved about him, feeling their time together slowly slipping away. He didn’t want to die, he wanted to live. He wanted to grow old with Cas, explore more of the world. Things he knew he no longer could do. He held Cas tighter, and eventually, Dean fell asleep too.  


* * *

Charlie was woken up by someone banging on her door.

“Charlie! Charlie get up now, or I’m breaking down your door!” Claire yelled. 

“Charlie, c’mon, let’s go see what she wants,” Jo said.

Charlie sat up in bed, and opened the door. Not a second later, Claire and Jess stormed into her room.   
  
“Claire, what’s going on? Why did you wake me up?” Charlie grumbled.

“They got caught. Cas and Dean. They’ve been in a jail cell in the Golden Kingdom since yesterday morning,” Claire said. 

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit,” Charlie said, beginning to pace.

“Alright, how do we save them?” Jo asked. “You ladies did it before, let’s do it again.”

“This is different. We don’t have an army this time, and we definitely don’t have time on our side,” Jess said. 

“What do you mean?” Charlie asked, stopping dead in her tracks. 

“They’ve been sentenced to death at sundown today,” Claire said.

“Today?” Charlie asked.

“Today,” Jess said.

There was a long silence amongst the women. 

“Is Billie still in town?” Charlie asked Jess.

“No, she left a while ago. We don’t know where she went off to.”

Another silence.

“Maybe we can sneak in and find them? Or…or free them from their binds before they get beheaded?” Charlie said, frantically trying to think of any way to get them out of the situation.

“The king himself attends these executions. Security is going to be the tightest it’s ever been,” Jess said.

“Well then what do we do?!” Charlie screamed.

There was a long pause in the room.

“We can’t just do nothing!” Charlie said. “Right?”

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do, Charlie,” Jess said.

“We didn’t come here to organize a rescue…we came here to see who wanted to come be there for them,” Claire said, holding back tears.

“There…has to be something we can do,” Charlie said, tearing up. “They’re family, we can’t just let them die!”

“Charlie, babe, there’s nothing we can do. If we try to save them, we’ll be killed. All we can do now is go and be there for them,” Jo said, trying to comfort Charlie. 

“I can’t just…I can’t just accept this. We can’t let this happen!” Charlie screamed.

“If we argue about this any longer, we won’t make it to the Golden Kingdom in time. Are you coming or are we leaving without you?”

Charlie looked around at her friends, then to Jo, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.   
  
“C’mon. Let’s go be there for them, okay?” Jo said, placing Charlie’s cloak around her.

Charlie nodded, still too shocked to speak. The women quickly got ready, and began their journey to the Golden Kingdom.

* * *

Cas and Dean were awoken by the loud banging of a sword against the metal bars.   
  
“Rise and shine, thieves,” a knight said. “You slept your final day away.”

Dean still held Cas in his arms, he didn’t even bother looking over at the knight.  
  
“It’ll be okay, Cas. We’re together. It’ll be okay,” Dean whispered in Cas’ ear. 

“If you won’t get up, we’re going to have to take you out by force.”

The two men still lay there together, ignoring the knight. They knew these would be the final moments they would be allowed to touch each other. No force on Earth could have possibly made them part. 

“Alright, I warned you,” the knight said as he and a few other knights entered the cell. They ripped Cas way from Dean, holding Dean back. Dean struggled and tried to fight. Cas, however, was too defeated to even attempt. Eventually, Dean stopped struggling. Before he knew it, they were halfway down the hall. They were forced through a door, into a small stone room. Dean saw the bags that would be placed over their heads. He knew this was it. He couldn’t stop it, he couldn’t fight. Cas and Dean stared at each other. Cas gazed into Dean’s beautiful green eyes one last time. He knew he’d never see them again. _God, those eyes._ Dean looked at Cas, and forced a smile. 

“It’ll be okay, Cas,” Dean said, smiling through his tears.

Cas nodded, shaking from fright.

The bags were thrown over their heads. All they could see was the brown cloth that they were made from. They were led down a hall, and out a door. They could feel the breeze and they knew they were outside. They could hear the roar of a crowd. They were placed side by side, their heads forced into a guillotine. Through the many voices in the crowd, one rang out clear as day.

“Thank you, Dean and Cas. We’re all here for you. You saved us. You’re our heroes!” Charlie screamed out.   


“Any last words?” a gruff voice said to the men.

“Remember what I said, Cas. It doesn’t matter how, it doesn’t matter when, we will find each other. We will always be together. I love you!” Dean screamed out. 

“I love you too, Dean!” Cas yelled back. 

They heard Charlie and Claire cry out, the sound of rope splitting, the sliding of metal against wood, and then…nothing. It was over. They were gone.


	16. Epilogue

Cas has always been fascinated with history, specifically the medieval era. Ever since he was a little boy, history was his favorite class in school. So, when he found out that tours were being given of the Midlands ruins the same time he was on his family vacation near the area, he jumped at the opportunity. The Midlands was a land that was full of history and culture that has been relatively underrated, in Cas' opinion. Though, aside from a little gift shop, it was mostly just ruins now. Still, Cas loved the Midlands. He always wished he could have lived to be part of the action. When he arrived, it was everything he had expected it to be.

"You're now walking through probably the most preserved glimpse of what life outside of the kingdoms would have been like. In this marketplace, the peasants would sell their wares, work their jobs, and try to provide for their families," the tour guide explained.

"You happy, nerd?" Gabe asked his brother.

"It's so beautiful, Gabe," Cas said from behind his camera.

"Well, good. I'm glad you think so."

"I do, there's so much history here. So many stories that no one will know about. And the fact that it's still standing is just...incredible."

"Well, don't freak out just yet. You haven't even seen the castle!"

Gabe wasn't entirely too interested in the ruins, or history at all, but he knew his brother was. So, he offered to join him when the rest of his family would not. 

"I'm sure that most of you may know of the great playwright Claire Novak. A little known fact is that she was actually born in The Midlands! She actually spent a large part of her life in that house over there!" the tour guide told the group. "Now if we're all ready, we can head back to the tram and make our way to the beautiful ruins of The Golden Kingdom!"

Cas' heart skipped a beat. The Golden Kingdom! He couldn’t wait to see what remained of the once great palace. Cas and Gabe walked over to the tram and sat inside.

“I wish they’d let us walk on the paths. I hate that we have to take a tram everywhere,” Cas complained.

“Well, I for one am happy about the tram. It’d take us hours upon hours to get from one place to another without these things,” Gabe said.

“Yeah, well, it’d be more immersive if they let us walk,” Cas huffed, looking out the side of the tram at the passing trees. 

“Well, we’re not all stuck in the past like you are, knucklehead,” Gabe teased as he scrolled through a website on his phone. 

Cas rolled his eyes and remained focused on their surroundings, he was hoping to get a glimpse at more ruins. All he got to see on the way to the kingdom, though, was some old inn. After about twenty more minutes, he could see the castle in the distance. His heart started pounding and he grabbed Gabe’s leg, practically bouncing from excitement. 

“If you all look out to your right, you can see the top of the castle! It was built from the ground up by the Shurley family. The legacy which ruled the kingdom for centuries until it ended with the infamous King Charles, when he gave the throne to one of his best knights. Thus began the era of King Gabriel,” the cherry blonde woman stated.

Cas hit Gabe on the shoulder. “Look! You have the same name!”

As the tram pulled up to the ruins, Cas could hardly keep himself in his seat. 

“Hey, I’m gonna let you go ahead. I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” Gabe said.

“What? Why! Come on, Gabe, this is the coolest part!” Cas said.

“You’re really excited and I’m not as into it as you are. I don’t want to hold you back! I’m fine just hanging out back here.”

“Well…alright. Are you sure?”

“Yes, Cas. Don’t make me pull out the full name. Go, be immersed.”

“Alright,” Cas said, and he was off. He caught up with the rest of the group as they walked under the massive ruins of the front palace gate. Cas felt so at home, so at peace. The kingdom had definitely seen better days, but Cas could just close his eyes and imagine what it would have looked like in its prime. 

“Unfortunately, due to safety reasons, we can’t take you inside of the ruins of the castle. It’s relatively unstable, and we don’t want to risk being inside when it eventually does collapse. However, if you follow me, I can take you to one of the most barbaric, yet romantic places in the entire kingdom.”

Cas knew what was coming. He’d read the story hundreds of times before. It wasn’t very well known worldwide, but to him, it was one of the most inspirational love stories of all time. The tour guide led the group under an archway and to the east side of the castle, where outside stood two guillotines. In front of them lay many different kinds of flowers. 

“Does anyone know what this is?” the guide asked. A man seemingly put his hand up, “Yes you?”  
  
The man looked up confusedly. “Oh, sorry no, I don’t know about this, I’m here for my brother. But…I’m sure he knows about it.”

“Oh! Then, you sir, do you know?”

“I do, actually. These are the lover’s guillotines,” the taller man said.

“Correct! Ages ago, the world was at a much different place than it is now in terms of acceptance. However what happened here began a string of events that completely changed the Golden Kingdom. The story is a bit scrambled. It wasn’t officially documented, so this was all passed down from word of mouth. I heard this story from my mother when I was growing up. She told me that my family is full of direct descendants of someone who was actually there the day the two men were killed. I believe it was the lover of the brother of one of the men. Essentially, a knight and a bandit fell in love. They lived with each other for a short time, and eventually took down an entire corrupted kingdom together. The Kingdom of the Twisted Crown, it was called. Eventually, however, they were captured by King Gabriel, and ultimately were sentenced to death. What stands out in history from this story, however, are the words spoken by the bandit before they were beheaded. He promised his love that someday they would find each other again in another life. The two professed their love for each other, and seconds later died together. A few months after that happened, King Gabriel left the throne, and the Golden Kingdom eventually fell. This spot was the sight of one of the greatest love stories of all time. People often come here and leave flowers in front of the guillotines in memory of the two men.”

The story always warmed Cas’ heart. Hearing of two men who lived through so much in such harsh times truly gave him hope that maybe he’d find love in someone too someday. He had his rose ready in his backpack. He kept it hidden from Gabe in fear of getting made fun of. He walked up to the steps in front of the guillotines, and reached into his bag for his rose; however he couldn’t find it. His backpack had been open the whole time and no one had mentioned it. He figured that the rose must have fallen out while he was walking around the kingdom. Defeated, Cas was ready to continue on with the tour. However, he was paused by a tap on his shoulder. 

“Excuse me, sir,” the man said from behind him.

Cas turned around and was met by a man with stunning green eyes. 

“I believe you dropped this!” the man said, extending the rose to Cas.

“Oh, thank you!” Cas said grabbing the rose, their hands brushing, Cas’ heart beginning to pound.

The man watched as Cas closed his eyes and held the rose to his heart. He wished for love, a love like the two men had all those years ago. He took a breath, and tossed the rose.

“What’d you wish for?” the man asked.

Cas confusedly responded, “if I told you it wouldn’t come true, would it?”

“That’s true. I apologize. I feel like I should introduce myself. My name is Dean Winchester,” he said, extending his hand with a smile. 

“Well, hello Dean, my name’s Cas,” he said, shaking his hand. 

They both wouldn’t know it, but Dean was about to keep his word on a centuries old promise.  
  
_We will always be together._


End file.
